Lost in Another World
by Kenny Rutter
Summary: The final chapter in the My Little Pony Crossover Trilogy. Isaac and his friend Doris are on the run from the authorities of the dystopian One World Nation, and one night, while hunting for a Dragon Ball, they stumble across a machine that sends them to a peaceful and innocent world, and they finally begin to feel like they've found a new place to call home.
1. Memories

MEMORIES

THE SOUND OF THE BULLETS RICCOCHETING OFF OF THE WALLS WAS making Isaac's ears ring. He could still hear the soldiers running after him, firing their automatic weapons as they tried to gun him down. He knew why they were after him. He had escaped from one of the research labs.

The research labs were owned by the Alten Corporation, an offshoot of the former United States Military before the merger of all the world's governments into the One World Nation. One World Nation was a bid by the former United Nations to join all the nations of the world as one, in an attempt to end all war and violence. No one believed it would work, and were subsequently surprised when it did, and when the government of the world declared utopia.

If only the common folk knew what would transpire several years later.

The government of the One World Nation turned their ideals around on the citizens, rounding them up one by one. It didn't take long afterwards for people to realize that this wasn't utopia, it was a dictatorship, with the government practicing what Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party practiced over a hundred years ago-anyone they deemed unperfect was euthanized, and those they deemed perfect were forced to join the military and continue the process in a vicious cycle that seemed to have no end.

Isaac himself had been captured, along with his dad and best friend Doris. In a way, Isaac could understand his dad being taken, as he refused to join the One World Nation military, and at the time they were taken, Isaac didn't know why they took him and Doris. They were only twelve years old, too young to be forced into the military-the standard age for that was seventeen-so perhaps it was to be...euthanized?

No, that wasn't it, at least not for Isaac. He remembered some men in white coats saying how he was different, how he needed to be studied and tested. He remembered being poked and prodded, being hooked up to some sort of machine, remembered being given shots of who knew what.

Isaac almost lost his footing as he rounded a corner. He put his hands on the wall to maintain his balance and kept running, just as a burst of bullets hit the floor. He felt chips of linoleum hit his bare legs, but didn't pay them any mind; he had to keep going, otherwise he was going to die.

_Wait, there's got to be some place around here that I can hide_.

He skidded to a stop in front of a door. He quickly checked the lock; it was open. Pulling the door open a little bit, he saw that it was a janitor's closet. Isaac quickly slipped inside and shut the door.

_Please don't find me, please don't find me, please God don't let them find me._

He held his breath and listened as the soldiers ran past the room. He waited, listening as the soldiers ran down the hall, wondering if they had gone away yet. Slowly, he pushed the door open and looked up and down the hall. There was no sign of anyone, at least no one he could see. Half of the lights in the hallway didn't work, and it didn't help that North Bay was labelled as the darkest city in the One World Nation during the night.

He slowly stepped out of the janitor's closet and shut the door, moving slowly and quietly so he didn't alert anybody.

_I've got to find Dad and Doris before these monsters do anything bad to them._

She slowly walked down the hall, stepping slowly and quietly so as to avoid any unwanted attention. As he walked, he began to think about his dad, Gerald Lawrence.

For as long as Isaac could remember-which wasn't very long-his dad had been teaching him karate and other assorted martial arts, as well as teaching Isaac how to harness his inner ki, teaching him how to use it not only in offense-such as firing it as a projectile weapon-but also in defense.

And then there was Doris Jameson, Isaac's best friend. No, not just his best friend, but his only friend. Isaac was so different from the other kids that no one wanted anything to do with him. Doris was the only one who tried to be Isaac's friend, and though he denied her friendly advances at first, he slowly accepted her friendship. She became like a sister to him over time.

_But there was no reason to take Doris too. So why did they...?_

He shook his head and stopped walking as he came to the labs. He got down on his hands and knees and started crawling. He stopped after a few feet and peeked into the closest room, looking in through the bottom of the window.

_Doris!_

She didn't look like she'd been harmed, at least not from what he could see. She was strapped to a table, hooked up to an electrocardiograph machine, which was measuring her heart rate. The scientist in the room was taking notes. At least he wasn't poking and prodding her like they did with Isaac.

_Still, I can't just leave her in there. I've got to help her!_

He stood up and stepped in front of the door. Mustering up all of his courage, he kicked the door, knocking it open. The scientist turned to Isaac, a shocked look on his face.

"I'm here for the girl."

The scientist slowly moved towards a desk on the left wall. Isaac watched him, knowing he was going for the alarm. He held out his hand and, just as his dad had taught him, fired a ki blast, hitting the desk and shattering the alarm system.

"Don't even. Now, release Doris."

Slowly, the scientist made his way over to the table Doris was strapped to. He unstrapped her and disconnected her from the electrocardiograph machine.

Isaac ran over to Doris, pushing the scientist out of the way. "Doris? Can you hear me?"

Doris began to stir. Slowly, she opened her eyes. "Isaac? What's going on?"

"We're getting out of here, that's what," Isaac said. He helped Doris to her feet. "Can you walk?"

"I think so."

"How about run?"

"I think."

"Good, because we're gonna have to book it if we want to get out of here." He took Doris's hand. "Come on! We gotta find my dad first!" They hurried out of the room.

_"Alert! Alert! Prisoner escape!"_

"Great," Isaac huffed. "Just fan-freaking-tastic. Someone hit the alarm." He started running faster. "Come on, Doris!"

"Isaac, wait! My legs are still a little stiff!"

"You said you could run! Oh, for crying out loud." He hurried back to Doris. "On my back, quick!" Doris climbed onto Isaac's back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Isaac started running again. "I'm sorry, Isaac. I'm slowing you down. We're going to die thanks to me."

"Don't say that," Isaac said. "Don't you _DARE_ say that, Doris Jameson! We're going to make it through this, all three of us."

"But we don't even know where your dad is. He could be anywhere in the building!"

"Then we'll search the whole darn place if we have to. But I am _not_ leaving here without the two of you."

They ran down the hall, looking through every window they could. There was still no sign of Gerald. Isaac's heart raced even more than it already was as horrible images of what they were doing to his dad raced through his mind. Brainwashing, genetic testing, euthanization-all sorts of possibilities went past his mind's eye, even as he tried not to think about it.

"Isaac, he's in here!"

Isaac stopped running and looked through the window Doris was pointing to. The room on the other side looked like the room where he'd just found Doris, only there were more people in here; not just a scientist, but a team of scientists as well as two armed guards. They were standing around a table, and strapped to the table was Isaac's father, who was having something injected into him with a needle.

Isaac felt his blood boil. They were killing his father!

"I've got to help him."

"No, Isaac, don't. Those guards will shoot you before you even get a chance to do anything."

"I'm can't just leave my dad in there."

He kicked the door open and fired two ki blasts, each one hitting a guard and knocking them to the ground. A few more ki blasts took out the scientists.

With them out of the way, Isaac hurried over to the table and unstrapped his father's ankles and wrists. He looked at the needle the scientist had used, saw it inscribed with the symbol for poison.

"Oh my God. Dad? Dad, can you hear me?"

Gerald's eyes fluttered open. They were watery, and his skin was starting to become pale.

"Isaac? Is that you?"

"Yeah. And Doris is here too. Come on, Dad. We're getting you out of here."

Gerald coughed, spitting up blood. "Sorry, kiddo. I'm clocking out here."

"No. I won't let you die. I just won't!"

"They've put poison in me. It's eroding me from the inside." He pointed to the desk on the far wall. "Get in the top drawer of that desk. There's something in there, something you should have."

Isaac hurried over to the desk and pulled the drawer open. Placed on top of a stack of papers was an orb, about the size of a baseball. Isaac picked it up. It was a bright yellow stone, with four orange stars engraved on it.

He hurried back over to his father. "Is this it?"

"Yes. Take it. And find the other six."

"What do you mean, the other six?"

"The seven Dragon Balls. Find all seven, and make a wish, a wish that will fix all of this."

"I-I don't understand."

"You will." He pulled Isaac close. "You have to fight them, Isaac. Combat is in your blood."

"Because you've been training me."

"No, not just that. It's because you...are..." His eyes closed, and his body fell limp.

Isaac shook his father. "I'm what? Dad, tell me. What am I?" But his father wasn't responding.

He was dead.

"Dad? Dad?"

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He whipped around, ready for a fight, only to find Doris standing behind him.

"I'm so sorry, Isaac."

"Don't be," Isaac said. "You didn't kill him. These bastards did. And they're going to pay for it. I'll make sure of that."

He looked at the orb he still held in his hand-the Dragon Ball. _Seven of them, huh? And Dad said that they can grant a wish. If I find all seven, I can wish my dad back to life._

"We've got to get going, Isaac," Doris said, snapping him back to reality.

"Yeah. You're right." He looked back at his father's body one last time. "I'm sorry, Dad." He and Doris ran out of the room.

"Which way do we go now?" Doris asked, looking up and down the hallway.

"Stairs," Isaac said. "Take the stairs down to the first floor, and then we're out of here."

"Why not the elevator?"

"They'll probably be expecting that, and have the elevators rigged to blow or something." He grabbed Doris's hand. "Come on!"

They ran down the hallway, arriving at a door leading to the stairwell. Isaac kicked it open. The sign on the wall told him that they were on the fifteenth floor.

"Shouldn't take us that long. Come on."

They hurried down the metal stairs, their footsteps echoing off of the concrete walls. Floor after floor went by in a blur as they ran, until, after a few moments, they had reached the ground floor. Isaac threw the door open. He grabbed Doris's hand, and they ran for the front door. The door flew open as they hit it, and they ran down the street, away from the Alten Corporation Labs, not stopping, not knowing where they were going, only knowing that they had to keep running.

Isaac's eyes snapped open. He sat up on the cot and looked around. It was still dark. He looked at the clock on the wall of the shack-it was just after midnight, on the tenth day of July. Today marked the fifth year that Isaac and Doris had been on the run, evading the shock troops of the Alten Corporation and hunting the Dragon Balls.

_Five years of moving around from place to place, living off the land and sneaking and stealing to survive. Five years, and no Dragon Balls. I'm starting to think this is a lost cause._

He heard a familiar sound on the roof of the shack; rain water. Slowly getting off of his cot so he didn't wake Doris-who was on the cot directly next to him-he made his way outside.

The cool rain felt good on his sweaty skin. He felt as though he were being cleansed, as though all his nightmares and fears were being washed away.

_Clean it. Clean it all._

After a few moments, he headed back inside and dried himself off with a towel. He tossed the towel into a corner. It landed on top of his jacket. Slowly, Isaac walked over to the jacket and pulled out the yellow orb, its orange stars shining brightly even in the blackness of the night.

_Lost cause or not, finding the Dragon Balls was my father's dying wish, and I am _not_ going to let him down. I _will_ find the Dragon Balls, even if I have to travel through hell and back. I'll go where I must to collect them._

_ I'm not going to let you down, Dad. I swear it._


	2. What Is This Place?

WHAT IS THIS PLACE?

ISAAC DIDN'T PUT THE STONE DOWN FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT. HE continued to hold on to it, spin it around in his hand. Five years. He and Doris had been on the run for five years, moving from place to place, evading the soldiers of the One World Nation and Alten Labs, hunting the Dragon Balls. No matter where they went, the soldiers were never too far behind, and the Dragon Balls could never be found.

It was a miracle that they had been here for as long as they had and not seen a single soldier. Nearly two months had gone by since they first made camp in this little shack outside of what was once a major metropolis. Going into the town for supplies was a risk; soldiers and loyalists to the One World Nation could be anywhere. But it had to be done, they needed the supplies.

Isaac also noticed that he and Doris were starting to get complacent. Everywhere they had gone before, they always took turns keeping watch, looking out for signs of danger during the night. But for the past few days they hadn't done that. Isaac was starting to worry that their complacency might get them both killed.

_If that happens, I'll never find the rest of the Dragon Balls, and I won't be able to set things right again. I'll have let my father down._

He tightened his grip on the orb. After five years of seaching, he wasn't about to give up now. He had promised his father that he wouldn't let him down, promised him that he would go wherever he needed to if that was what it took to find all seven wishing stones.

_Find the stones, make my wish, and fix everything. I must make everything right again. I _must.

He heard Doris stir on her cot. She slowly sat up.

"Isaac? How long have you been awake?"

"I don't know," Isaac replied. "The hours all seem to blend together anymore. It doesn't even seem like it's been five years since we started running."

"Yeah, I know," Doris said. She slipped out of her sleeping bag. Isaac turned away after seeing that she was just in her underwear. "It's nothing you haven't seen before, Isaac."

"Yeah, maybe. But it just doesn't seem right, you know?"

"It's okay. You can look now. I'm dressed."

Isaac turned back to Doris. He was glad that she was with him, glad that she had stuck with him for all these years. She was his best friend; she was his only friend. Even before all this started happening, Doris was the only person besides his father to show him any kindness. And now, with everything happening in the world, he felt he needed her now more than ever.

Doris sat down next to him. "Isaac, it's been five years since we started this. I'm starting to think we won't find the other Dragon Balls."

"So you've said last year," Isaac replied. "But I believe we will. We can set things right with that one wish."

"How do you even know that it will work?"

"I don't. But I believe that it will. I'm not one to belive in sorcery or superstition or all that other hocus pocus shit, but if there's even the slightest chance that it can return the world back to the way it was before the merger, I think we should take it. It's what my father would want."

Doris put an arm around Isaac's shoulder. "You miss him, don't you?"

"Besides you, he was my only friend."

"And a good man. I miss him too. Believe me, if there was any way to bring him back-"

"Wait a second. There just might be." He held the Dragon Ball up. "He said there are seven of these things."

"Yes, I know."

"And he said that if I get all seven together, I can have one wish granted."

"I know, I was there."

"But, now I don't know which wish I should make. Should I wish for everything to be set right again, or should I wish for my father to come back from the dead?" He buried his head in his hands. "I just don't know anymore."

"Don't worry. If you think we will, then I believe in you. I have faith in you, Isaac."

Isaac turned to face Doris. "Thanks. For everything." He looked at the clock on the wall. "Seven AM. How are we on supplies?"

"Let's see." Doris walked over to the cooler on the far wall and opened it. "Enough water to last for two more days."

Isaac rummaged through his backpack. "Not much food left either. I think we'd better make a supply run."

"Are you sure? There's been a lot of activity in town lately. It's worrying me."

"We don't have much of a choice," Isaac said. "We can't just starve and go thirsty. We need to make this run. Who knows, we might stumble upon a Dragon Ball this time."

He threw on his jacket and stuffed the Dragon Ball into a pocket, then tossed his backpack over his shoulder. "Come on, Doris. We'd better get going while we still can."

Gravel and shattered glass crunched beneath their feet as they walked. They did their best to stick to the shadows of the alleyways, only going out onto the streets when it was absolutely necessary. Signs of the One World Nation were all over the place-banners, old videos that were somehow still playing, flags, and the soldiers.

Seeing the soldiers was nothing new to them. It was common occurrance, had been for the past five years. Isaac resisted the urge to go out there and attack them, knowing that they would kill him before he even got close. And if that happened, all of this would be for nothing.

They waited in the alley, their backs pressed against the wall, until the last of the soldiers had gone by. Isaac peeked out into the street, looking left and right.

"It's clear. Let's go." He and Doris slowly ran out of the alley and onto the street. They stopped in another alley. Isaac reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He pressed a button, and a holographic map of the city appeared. "We're about two blocks away from the store. We should be there in a few minutes if all goes well."

"Hold on," Doris said. She pointed to a spot on the map. "What's that?"

"One of the old Alten Labs buildings. I don't think it's been used in years. Why?"

"I was thinking, what if we find a Dragon Ball in there?"

Isaac turned the phone off and put it back into his pocket. "You know, you're right. Who's to say they weren't studying one? We'll check it out on the way back from the store."

They stepped out of the alley and sprinted the last two blocks to the grocery store. There didn't appear to be any soldiers around; the only sounds being Isaac and Doris's heavy breathing. Isaac brought his breath and heart rate back to normal and looked into the store through a window. Most of the shelves were barren, the result of weeks of supply runs and whatever happened before they got here. The fruits and vegetables were still on their shelves, but they were now so rotten that there weren't even flies buzzing around them.

"Okay, what are we after?" Doris asked.

"Water, more food, anything else we can grab," Isaac replied.

"And let me guess, that means more corned beef cans, right?"

"It's the only non-perishable in there. Besides that bag of animal crackers we found last week."

"That went bad in two days. And yet, you still at them."

"And regretted it for a week afterwards."

Doris chuckled, but Isaac's face remained stern. She hadn't seen him so much as crack a smile since the night his father died. It was like he was hiding his emotions from the world, and more importantly, from Doris. It saddened her to know that her best friend was always shut out from the rest of the world, acting as though he didn't want to let anybody in.

Isaac took a quick glance around, and pushed the door open. Doris follwoed him inside.

The scent of the rotting produce filled their nostrils. Even after five years, they still weren't used to this scent. It was disgusting, made them want to gag. They'd learned to muscle past the gag reflex, but nothing could quell the stench of rotting fruit. It was the worst thing they'd ever smelled, even worse than a week-old dead body roasting in the sun.

"Let's jsut grab what we need and get out of here," Doris said.

Isaac opened his backpack. "Okay. Let's split up, grab some supplies, and meet back here once we're done. This shouldn't take too long."

Isaac took one end of the store, Doris took the other. As he walked down the aisles, Isaac made a mental list of all the things he needed to get. He grabbed several cans of soup, several cans of beans, several cans of vegetables, several cans of powdered milk, and stuffed them into his backpack. He was already feeling the weight of all the cans pulling down on the bag.

The next aisle was full of bread, which had no doubt gone stale over time. Most of the bread was far too moldy to even look at, the green texture filling his throat with bile. The bags the loaves were in had begun to disintegrate months ago, and most of them were already gone.

He rounded the corner and stepped into the cereal aisle. Cereal, fortunately, didn't get moldy like bread, but it could still go stale. No doubt this ceral had already gone bad. The same with the other whole grain foodstuffs in this aisle-granola bars, toaster pastries, wheat chips. None of it was edible.

_Water. Gotta find the water. And maybe some drink mix. So long as there are no bugs in it._

He made his way to the liquid aisle. There were juices and sodas and teas on all the shelves, most of them having gone bad by this point. He found a small case of water, six bottles, each about twelve fluid ounces.

"Not enough in one bottle to last us a whole day. We'll just have to make due with it." He pulled the bottles out of the packaging and stuffed them into his backpack. "That should be enough." He zipped the bag closed and slung it over his shoulder. "This place is starting to run out of usable items. I guess it was only a matter of time."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Dragon Ball again. It was shining a little bit brighter than before. Isaac figured it was due to the lights in the grocery store, but he and Doris had been in here numerous times before and it had never done this.

_Could it mean...?_

"Isaac? Hey, Isaac!"

Doris's voice snapped Isaac back to reality. He looked to the end of the aisle, saw Doris standing there, her own backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Get what you needed?"

Isaac stuffed the Dragon Ball back into his pocket. "Yeah. Let's get out of here." He walked towards the front door, stopping just at the doorway. He pressed his back against the wall and peered outside. "Looks like the soldiers are gone."

"Still, we shouldn't take any chances," Doris said.

"Yeah, you're right. And I think you were right about there being a Dragon Ball in the old Alten Labs building."

"Excuse me?"

"You said earlier that we might find a Dragon Ball in there. Well, my Dragon Ball was glowing brighter than usual. It must mean that there's a Dragon Ball nearby."

"Well, do you _speak_ magic stone language?"

"It's just this feeling I've got. Won't hurt to check it out. It's just right around the corner. We'll go on three. One. Two. Three."

They bolted out the door and ran towards a nearby alley, quickly ducking into it. Isaac took out his phone and brought up the holo-map. Their destination was right across the street and to the north.

"Almost there," he said. He put the phone back into his pocket. "Let's go."

They sprinted out into the street and turned north, stopping only once they reached their destination. Isaac took a look around; he and Doris were the only signs of life anywhere.

_At least until the soldiers make their rounds again, which will be anytime soon. Gotta act fast._

He tried the door; it was locked.

"Shit."

Doris pulled on his jacket sleeve. "Isaac, I hear something."

Isaac stopped and listened. After a few seconds he heard what sounded like footsteps.

_Footsteps? Oh, crap!_

He kicked at the door-once, twice, three times-until it finally swung open. He grabbed Doris's arm and pushed her inside, following her and closing the door behind him. They waited and listened, holding their breath, until the last sounds of the footsteps had gone by.

Slowly, they let out the breaths they'd been holding, and took a moment to look around. They were in the lobby, which looked like it hadn't been used in ages. There was mold growing on some of the walls; fungus growing in the corners. The lights were out, the only light being the sunlight filtering in between the boards on the windows. The scent of mildew filled their nostrils. There were old papers littering the floor, as though their previous owners had just dropped them where they were. They could hear rats squealing somewhere in the dark, heard the skittering of small rodent feet on the linoleum floor.

Isaac unslung his backpack and reached inside. He pulled out a flashlight and turned it on, illuminating the room better.

"How long do you think this place has been abandoned?" Doris asked.

"Who knows," Isaac replied. "Could have been anytime between now and the merger. Let's just find that Dragon Ball and get the hell out of here."

"Where should we start looking?"

"Well, if I remember correctly, these buildings were always built the same-lobby on the first floor, medical wards from the second floor to the tenth floor, break and recreation areas on the eleventh floor, and from there to the seventeenth floor, nothing but science and research. If that's the case, then the Dragon Ball's somewhere between the twelfth and seventeenth floor, if it's even in this place at all."

"Well, let's get looking," Doris said. She made her way over to the elevator.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Isaac asked. "This place hasn't had power in ages. The elevators won't work."

"Oh, right. Duh. What was I thinking?" Doris smacked her forehead. "I'm an idiot."

"No, you're not. Believe me, I'd do anything to ride an elevator again, watch television, play video games. But I guess such things only exist in the realm of dreams. Come on; we gotta take the stairs."

Their legs felt like rubber by the time they reached the twelfth floor. Isaac pushed the door open and shone his flashlight around, illuminating everything. Just like the rest of this place, it was deserted, the only signs of life being the stray animals that called the building home.

He took his first slow steps into the hallway, keeping his senses open. Not only were these abandoned buildings home to stray animals, but they were also home to the few people who had escaped the One World Nation death squads, and not everyone was friendly. Some of them saw all other people as soldiers come to take them, and were willing to defend themselves-violently.

_Not even all my martial arts and ki enhancing training can help me then_, Isaac thought.

He shone his flashlight up and down the hallway. Each wall was lined with ten doors-most were labs, some were restrooms, and at least one was a janitor's closet.

"So, what's the plan?" Doris asked.

"We'll have to split up again," Isaac replied. "Check every room thoroughly. If we don't find it on this floor, we keep going, doing the same thing until we either find the thing or come up empty. I'll take the left side, you take the right."

"You got it."

Isaac watched Doris go down the right side of the hall, waited for her to enter the first door, at the very end of the hall, before he began his search. He started at the very end, with room 1201. Slowly, he pushed the door open and shone his flashlight around. Rust was beginning to form on the filing cabinets and metal desks. The scent of animal feces was fresh in the air, as was the scent of at least one dead creature. He slowly stepped into the room, careful where he stepped. He tried every desk drawer, every cabinet door. Most were locked, but the locks were so rusty that a good tug was enough to open them. All he found was a bunch of old memos, some pens and pencils, and one very frightened mouse.

Convinced that there was nothing in this room, he went back into the hallway and tried the room directly across from it. Again, the search was fruitless. The same was true for the next two rooms Isaac searched. He was starting to get frustrated.

There was one more room to check, but it was just the restroom. He opened the door and was instantly met with the eye-watering stench of feces and urin. He quickly closed the door and tried to catch his breath.

"God, that was the worst thing I'd ever smelled." He coughed. "Okay, dipshit move."

He felt a gentle hand on his back. "Isaac, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Doris. Just...Let's check the next floor."

They went up floor by floor, following the same plan, and still coming up empty handed. Isaac was growing more and more frustrated. He took the Dragon Ball out of his pocket. It was still shining brightly, just like it was in the grocery store, only its shine was much brighter.

"If we're getting close to a Dragon Ball, you'd think we'd have found it by now," Isaac said. He put the stone back into his jacket pocket. "This is really starting to irritate me."

"Calm dow, Isaac," Doris said. "There's still one more floor to check."

"Yeah, you're right."

They went up the last flight of stairs and into the hallway of the seventeenth floor. They separated, going in their respective directions.

Isaac went to the first door at the very end of the hallway and slowly pushed it open. It looked like some sort of autopsy room, but the machinery seemed much more sinister than he expected to see in a room like this.

_Hold on. This looks familiar_.

The memories came flooding back to him-the scientists, the soldiers, his father, all of it came back at once. He rememberd running down a corridor just like this one, hiding in a janitor's closet, finding his father dying on a table in a room just like this one, remembered his father handing him the Dragon Ball, telling him to find the other six and make a wish to set all of this right, remembered his father trying to tell him something else.

_But you died before you could tell me what you wanted to. I know it was something about my heritage, but what?_

Though he didn't show it, that question had bothered him since that fateful night five years ago. Just who was he? Where did he come from? Was Gerald his true father? Is this why he was training Isaac? All those questions flooded his mind at once.

He walked over to the table and put a hand on it. The table was covered in dust, yet to Isaac, it felt clean, like it should be. He imagined seeing his father lying there, breathing his last breaths, speaking his last words, handing Isaac the Dragon Ball.

_I wonder._

He brushed some dust away with his hand, revealing a small splatter of blood.

_Oh my God. This-this was...It was..._

_ This is the room where my father died._

_ We've come back. Back to where it all began._

He slowly walked around the room, remembering the events of that fateful night, all those years ago.

_NO! Don't think about that; you've got a Dragon Ball to find._

He tore open every drawer and door in the room, but still no Dragon Ball. _Damn it._ He just wanted to scream, to let out all of the rage and anger he felt building up inside of him; he felt like he was about to explode, to yell out at the top of his lungs.

Something caught his eye, something in the far back of the room. Forgetting his anger, he walked towards it. It was covered in a large tarp. Removing the tarp, he saw that it was some sort of computer, but not like any computer he had ever seen. The main console was massive, and judging by all the instruments, it was specially designed that way. The keyboard was covered in a fine layer of dust, nothing a quick brush of the hand couldn't take care of. The only keys were numbers and symbols, but no letters, which was odd. Following the cable from the keyboard, he found himself looking at two large antennae, each one about eight feet tall and ten feet apart. What was it all for? Was it some sort of weapon that never got finished?

The sound of footsteps coming from the hall interrupted his train of thought. He turned around to face the door, raising his fists and bending his knees as his father had taught him. Whoever it was, if they wanted to take Isaac, he was going to make sure they didn't walk away without a few bruises.

Doris ran into the room and sprinted to join him. "We've got a problem."

"What sort of problem?"

"You two! Hold it!"

_Shit. That kind of problem._

A squad of soldiers stood in front of them, their weapons raised. Isaac tightened his fists as he stared at the five men.

"I'm sorry, Isaac. I got scared, so I ran."

"Don't worry about it. Everything's going to be fine."

"The two of you are coming with us," the lead soldier said. "By order of the One World Nation."

"Why, just so you can kill us anyway?" Isaac spat. "I don't think so." He reached behind him and started pressing random buttons on the keyboard. "If Doris and I are going down, we're going down fighting."

"Step away from the machine, son," the soldier said. "You don't know what it will do."

"You're right, I don't know," Isaac replied. "But anything's better than going anywhere with you bastards." He kept pressing buttons until he heard the machine start up.

_Huh. Surprised this thing still works. I was only bluffing them._

Something appeared between the two antennae, some sort of blue vortex.

"Isaac, what's that?" Doris asked.

"Our ticket out of here," Isaac replied. He grabbed Doris's hand. "Come on!"

They ran for the vortex, just as the soldiers opened fire. Without a second thought, they jumped into the vortex.

Isaac slowly opened his eyes. He was staring at the lush green canopy of a forest. Sunlight filtered in through the leaves. He heard birds singing and insects buzzing, the first signs of life that weren't trying to kill him.

_Hold on. How did I end up in the forest? The last thing I remember is those soldiers cornering us, and me and Doris jumping into that vortex thing, and then-wait, what if that computer thing wasn't a computer at all. What if it was one of those otherworld transport things that was being constructed before the merger?_

He slowly sat up and looked around. He was in the middle of a forest, all right. But there was something...different about it. He didn't recognize most of the trees, and visibility became poor after a few meters. And while he recognized the sounds of the birds, there were a few sounds mixed in with them that he didn't recognize at all.

_Just where the hell did that thing dump us off at?_

He kept looking around and spotted Doris nearby, face down in the dirt. He hurried over to her and started shaking her shoulder.

"Doris. Doris, wake up." Doris slowly lifted her head and looked around. "Good. You're okay."

She got up on her knees and continued to observe their new surroundings. "What happened? Where are we?"

"You got me," Isaac said. He helped Doris to her feet. "It doesn't look familiar." He took his phone out of his pocket and turned on the holo-map. "It's not showing up on the map, either."

"Maybe this place is uncharted?" Doris suggested.

"No, it can't be," Isaac replied. He put his phone back into his pocket. "The last corners of the world were charted just before the merger. This is someplace...new. Almost alien."

"Well, we won't find out by just standing around here," Doris said. She started walking through the brush. "We've got to get to civilization and figure out where to go from there."

Doris was right, the only thing to do now was to find some people.

_I just hope that they're friendly._


	3. Hunted by Wolves

HUNTED BY WOLVES

LEAVES AND TWIGS CRUNCHED BENEATH THEIR FEET AS THEY WALKED. Wherever they were, it was clearly no place they had ever been to before. The location wasn't showing up on Isaac's holo-map, no matter how many times he tried; his phone was beginning to lose battery power, he had checked the map so many times. While they recognized some of the trees, others were trees that neither of them had ever seen before, and most had a very demonic look about them. The same went for the sounds of the wildlife. They could point out some of the birds by the sounds they made, but there were other sounds that they had never heard before. Just where on Earth were they?

"I don't like this place," Doris said. "It's kind of creeping me out."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Isaac said. "And it feels like we're being watched. Like someone, or some_thing_ is following us."

"Like what?"

"Wish I knew. This place is extremely alien." He looked at his watch. It was still in the afternoon, about three o'clock. But then again, this place probably ran on a different time than what he and Doris were used to. The watch might as well have been a bracelet.

He reached into his backpack and took out a bottle of water, unscrewed the top, and took a sip. Sure, it was warm water, but it was better than nothing; his mouth and throat were extremely dry, and he let the clear liquid soak into his tongue and esophogus.

"Here, Doris. You look like you could use a drink," he said as he handed the bottle to Doris.

"Thanks, Isaac." She took a drink and handed the bottle back to Isaac.

"Sure." He put the cap back on the bottle and put it back into his backpack. "Now, we just need to find a way to civilization."

"Shouldn't we check the moss? That'll tell us if we're going north or not."

"Yeah, I know. But we don't know this place that well. For all we know, it could be the opposite; thick moss might mean we're going south, or we may just keep wandering around in circles. And I don't feel like spending the rest of my life in this forest."

"Me neither."

"Then let's keep going. We're bound to find a trail or something soon."

They kept walking, pushing tree branches out of their way, stepping over tree roots, around thick bushes. The only source of light was from the beams of sunlight filtering in through the canopy, and even then, visibility was still poor. They had to walk slowly, taking each step carefully so as to avoid tripping over anything or falling into a hidden sinkhole; many hikers had disappeared because of poor visibility making sinkholes hard to see.

If only they knew about the demonic green eyes watching them from the darkness...

It was the last day of Apple Buck Season, and Applejack was on the last tree on the south field. Unlike the last Apple Buck Season, where she nearly worked herself to death because Big Macintosh had hurt himself plowing the fields, she paced herself, taking it slow, making sure to take a break after every ten trees, and she had Big Mac's help. Apple Bloom was still too young to partake in Apple Buck Season, so she was off with the other Cutie Mark Crusaders getting into who knew what sort of shenanigans to try to earn their Cutie Marks.

But at the moment, Applejack was by herself. That was fine; there were only a few more trees to go when Granny Smith had Big Macintosh go with her into town to get some supplies. Granted, that was over two hours ago, but considering just how old Granny Smith was-she was one of the oldest mares in Ponyville-it was no surprise that they weren't back yet; they had to take it slow so Granny Smith didn't end up hurting herself.

Applejack's rear legs connected with the trunk of the tree, knocking the apples out of the branches. They landed in the buckets below, though a few ended up on the ground. She picked them up and put them in the buckets, then wiped some sweat off her brow with a foreleg.

"Apple buckin' sure is hard work," she said. She took off her brown cowboy hat and fanned herself, trying to get cool. "Especially in the dead of summer. Where's a breeze when ya need one, huh?"

Something caught her attention from out of the corner of her eye, some sort of bright flash. She turned towards where the flash came from-the Everfree Forest, the most frightening and dangerous place in all of Equestria.

"What in tarnation was that? Looked like a Ground Bridge." She placed the hat back on top of her head. "But the Autobots said they might not be comin' back here. Wait a second. What if it ain't the Transformers? What if..."

She didn't quite know what, but curiosity was getting the better of her. She trotted towards the forest, the taste of fear slowly filling her throat.

"I just know I'm gonna regret this."

After over an hour of walking, they finally arrived at a path. Whether it was a game trail or a recreation path they didn't know; all they knew was that they were that much closer to civilization and finding out just where the hell they were.

Isaac squinted in the dim light of the forest. The path was worn, with what looked like fresh footprints coming from the west. Maybe that was the direction they had to go?

_And if it's not, Doris and I might end up staying here for the rest of our lives. It's bad enough we're on the run; we don't want to end up forest hermits, too._

"Everything alright, Isaac?" Doris asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. I was just thinking, that's all."

"So, how far do you think we are from people?"

"I'm not sure. But this path should take us where we want to go. At least, I hope it will. Only one way to find out. Come on. We'd better keep walking." He slowly started moving forward.

Doris looked around; she still felt something watching them, stalking them. It was almost as though this forest were alive. She could feel eyes on her, watching her every move, like a predator waiting to pounce. Maybe it was just her imagination, maybe there really _was_ something out there, stalking them. It made her stomach knot and her throat tighten with nervousness. She'd felt fear before-being on the run for five years while evading the government will do that-but this was nothing like the fear she was used to feeling. She was used to feeling like the next person they ran into would turn them in or would do something horrible to her and Isaac, but this fear-it was the fear of death, of knowing that there was something out there, waiting to viciously take their lives.

Swallowing her fear, Doris followed Isaac down the path, oblivious to the beings stalking them in the darkness.

Applejack recognized this scent; it was the scent of a human-or rather, two humans. After the last two times humans came to Equestria, it was a scent she had grown accustomed to. But what were they doing way out here in the Everfree? Was this where that flash had brought them, like another portal or something, a Ground Bridge?

She saw two sets of footprints on the ground, headed south. She followed the footprints to a path, where the humans had clearly turned to head west, even deeper into the forest. Applejack supposed she shouldn't fault them; they didn't know the forest like anyone from Equestria.

She just hoped they were alright; the Everfree Forest was full of all sorts of monsters-dragons, manticores, cockatrices, and the dreaded timber wolves, just to name a few. It didn't help that night was starting to fall; in less than an hour, Princess Luna would bring the night, her moon gracing the skies of Equestria, and when that happened...

Applejack didn't want to think about that. In the past few months, she'd seen enough damage done to both humans and ponies alike; the last thing she wanted to even imagine was a human getting torn to pieces by a predator from the forest.

_Maybe they got lucky and ran into Zecora_, she thought. _Though what are the chances of that? This forest is huge, and this isn't even the same part where that zebra's hut is._

Another scent filled her nostrils, a scent that made the hair on her mane stand up on end. She recognized this scent all too well; it was the same scent that graced Sweet Apple Acres at the beginning of Zap Apple Season, the same scent that filled anypony's heart with fear and dread.

The scent of a timber wolf.

Applejack picked up the pace, galloping down the path, running as fast as her four legs could carry her, hoping to get to the humans before the wooden canines did.

Isaac stopped walking. He held up his hand, telling Doris to stop as well.

"Doris, do you hear that?" he asked. He heard the sounds of leaves crunching and twigs snapping; something was nearby, following them.

Doris wrinkled her face and put her arm over her nose. "I _smell_ that. It smells like rotten eggs."

Isaac reached down to his leg and took his knife out of hits sheath. He kept it out in front of him as he looked around, trying to locate the source of the sounds and smells, but they seemed to be everywhere at once. Maybe there was more than one thing following them?

He saw something in the darkness, what looked like a pair of glowing green eyes. Slowly, a figure stepped out of the darkness and into what little light there was left. It had a canine look to it, and was abou the size of a wolf, only this wolf was completely alien-instead of being made of flesh, it appeared to be made of wood, multiple sticks criss-crossing to form a living being. Acidic drool dripped from its mouth, and the horrible scent Doris had described filled the air, making its way into Isaac's nose. The wolf's green eyes glowed, like some sort of horrible demon from hell. Small leaves sprouted from the sticks that made up the wolf's body. Several of the sticks were covered in massive thorns, giving the wolf a spiky appearance.

_Just what the hell am I looking at?_

"Isaac!" Doris whispered. "There's more of them!"

Isaac didn't take his eyes off the wolf. Instead, he glanced to the left and right, and sure enough, several more wolves-three, to be precise-stepped out of the forest, all of various sizes and shapes, but still maintaining that alien and demonic look.

"We must be in their territory," Doris guessed. "They want us to get out."

"No, this isn't territorial behavior," Isaac replied. "We've encounted enough wildlife to know that. They're hunting us. They must have been for some time."

"Why are they just now making their move?" Doris asked, her voice cracking with fear.

Isaac's entire body was also shaking with fear, but over the years, he had learned to hide it. He stared at the wolves, trying to make himself seem as menacing as possible, but to no avail.

"They were funneling us right where they wanted us to go," Isaac said. "We walked right into an ambush."

"What are we going to do?"

"Well, the way I see it," Isaac said, "we've got two choices. We can either run, only to tire out, and they can catch us and tear us to shreds. Or, we can stay here, do nothing, and they can tear us to shreds. Pick your poison."

"Great. Damned if we do, damned if we don't," Doris hissed. "Well, personally, if we _are_ going to die, I'd rather die knowing we at least tried to get away."

"Yeah, same here. Okay, we'll make a break for it on three." He tensed up, making subtle moves so he didn't provoke the wolves into attacking. "One." The spiky wolf-Isaac guessed it was the alpha of the pack-took a step closer. "Two." The alpha got ready to pounce.

"THREE!"

Isaac and Doris bolted down the path, sprinting as fast as they could, the wolves quickly giving chase. The wolves were right behind them; they could feel the wolves' foul breath on their backs. Trees went by in a blur as they ran, and the dim light was making it difficult to see where exactly they were going.

They only ran a short distance before coming to a dead end-a cliff face. Isaac took a quick glance up the side of the cliff; it was completely smooth, absolutely no hand or foot holds in the stone at all. The same was true of the cliff to their left, and to the right was the thick trees of the forest.

The wooden wolves stopped running and slowly stalked towards them. Isaac raised his knife, ready to fight. He wasn't going to die without inflicting some damage on them first.

"Come on," he hissed. "Come on, you freaks."

The alpha wolf took a slow, menacing step towards Isaac, its mouth dripping with acidic drool. It got ready to charge.

Before it could move, its head suddenly exploded in a shower of splinters and green ooze.

"What the-?" Isaac was at a loss for words. There was no reason for that creature's head to just explode. Something had attacked it, killed it. But what?

"Come and get me, ya big goons!"

That voice...feminine, with a bit of a western drawl to it. But where was it coming from?

"Isaac, up there!" Doris cried, pointing to the top of the other cliff.

Standing on top of the cliff, tossing a rock up and down, was what looked like a small horse. It tossed the rock into the air, turned around, and flicked it at the wolves with its tail. The rock hit another wolf in the chest, blowing a hole through it.

"You two, run for it!"

Isaac didn't know what to make of any of this, but at the moment, he wasn't going to argue. He grabbed Doris's hand and ran past the wolves, just as the horse flicked another rock.

They ran down the path, heading back the same way they had come, not stopping, not looking back; just running. Their legs were getting tired, their chests were burning, and their lungs felt like they were about to burst, but they wouldn't-_couldn't_-stop.

After running for ten minutes, they finally stopped. Their chests hurt so much it was hard for them to breathe, but after a moment, they managed to get their breathing under control. Isaac looked back down the trail, but couldn't see anything in the darkness; the last bit of light from the day had given way to the darkness of night, the only light being what little star and moon light that managed to filter in through the canopy, giving the forest a rather mystical yet still frightening feel.

"What...in the world...just happened?" Doris panted.

"I think...we were saved by some guy's horse," Isaac replied. "And if there's a domesticated horse, then that must mean that we're near civilization."

"How can you be so sure?"

"It's just this feeling I have."

They stopped talking when they heard the sound of footsteps approaching them from the trees. Isaac put himself in front of Doris and raised his knife, ready to fight. If it was more of those wolf things, he would make sure to kill them this time.

The bushes rustled, and the horse stepped out onto the path. Isaac breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his knife. Now he could get a good look at their savior; clearly a female, standing at around four feet tall-about the size of a carousel horse. Its fur was a bright orange in color, and its mane and tail were a medium shade of yellow, with the ends tied off into ponytails. There was a picture of three apples on the horse's hindquarters and resting on top of its head was a tattered brown cowboy hat.

_Yup. Clearly domesticated. And I think it's still a juvenile._

He put his knife away and held his hand out to the little horse. "Hey there, little horsie. Thanks a lot for helping us."

The horse put its hoof in his hand-much like a dog who had learned to shake-and he slowly shook it.

And then, to his surprise, the horse started to speak.

"Don't any y'all mention it; couldn't very well let them varmints tear ya to ribbons, now, could I?"

Isaac and Doris stepped back in shock. This was the same voice they had heard back at the cliff.

And it had come from this horse!


	4. Sharing Stories

SHARING STORIES

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Isaac almost fell over, he was so shocked. Sure, horses could be taught to talk, but only by stomping their hooves on the ground. But _this_ one, it had spoken like a human! Just what the hell was going on?

"What's wrong?" the horse asked. "Oh, I get it. Never seen a talkin' pony before, have ya? Yeah, we've been gettin' that a lot 'round these parts, lately."

"Well," Doris said. "This is...new. Never heard a horse actually talk before."

Isaac put his head in his hands. "This doesn't make any sense. First we're in the middle of some weird forest, then we get attacked by wolves that I swear are made out of trees, and now there's talking horses? What the hell is going on here?"

"What do you mean, what's going on?" the horse asked. "This is normal for Equestria."

"Equestria? The heck is that?" Doris asked.

"That's the land we're in right now," the horse replied.

"Hold on, hold on," Isaac said. "This place isn't showing up on any maps, and coupled with everything we've seen in the past few hours, then that must mean..." His voice trailed off.

"That must mean what?" Doris asked.

"We're in another world," Isaac replied. He slammed his fist into a nearby tree. "Oh, of all the stupid, asanine, shark-jumping bullshit!"

"Hey, look, unless y'all wanna stay in the Everfree for the rest of the night, I suggest we get our cabooses movin'," the horse said. "There's all sorts of dangerous critters in these woods, and a lot of them come out at night. Those timber wolves were just the start."

"I think we'd better take her up on the offer, Isaac," Doris said. "It's either that or we stay in this forest and risk getting eaten by those...things."

Isaac closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. None of this was making any sense at all; how could they be in another world? Was that machine a transporter? He knew that a few transporters existed, but the most they ever did was send a rat into another room. Humans were never meant to be sent to other worlds! The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. It was like trying to figure out an unsolvable zen riddle.

He let out a defeated sigh. Doris was right; their only chance to survive and find out where the hell they were was to go with this horse.

"Fine. The quicker we get out of this forest, the better."

"Then come on, you two. Sweet Apple Acres is only a couple miles away."

Isaac rolled his eyes, but followed the horse anyway.

Doris pulled on the sleeve of Isaac's jacket and pointed to the sky. "Isaac, look! I've never seen so many stars before."

Isaac followed her gaze. Night had fallen quickly, blanketing everything in a rather comforting darkness, with the warm glow of the full moon basking the ground. The sky was glittering not only with the bright moon, but also with some of the most gorgeous stars Isaac had ever seen.

"It _is_ pretty," he said. "The most stars I've ever seen."

"I take it you don't get to see stars much at night where you're from, do ya?" the horse asked.

"Not really," Isaac replied.

The horse stopped walking and turned around. "Horse apples, I forgot to introduce myself. Name's Applejack."

"Nice to meet you, Applejack," Doris said. "My name's Doris."

"Isaac."

"Pleasure makin' your acquaintance," Applejack said. "Come on, now. We're almost at Sweet Apple Acres."

As the three of them continued walking, they noticed the forest beginning to thin out even more. It was only a matter of time before they were out of the forest and back to civilization. Isaac and Doris only hoped that the people here weren't loyalists to the One World Nation.

_This horse-Applejack-hasn't mentioned anything about them_, Isaac thought. _Maybe they're here. Then again, if this really _is_ another world, I doubt that would be the case. Still, I'm not going to get complacent. I'm keeping my guard up and keeping my eyes peeled for anything resembling the One World Nation._

They finally exited the forest, and in the moonlight, they could just barely make out what looked like a farm; a large farmhouse off in the distance, surrounded by rows and rows of trees. It was hard to tell just how many there were in the dark.

"I've never seen an actual apple orchard before," Doris said.

"You should see it during the day," Applejack replied. "Speaking of which, the rest of the family's gonna be pretty ticked that I disappeared earlier."

"You just left?" Isaac asked.

"Well, they weren't home and I got curious about that flash of light I saw in the forest. Good thing I did, too. Them timber wolves would have torn the two of ya to ribbons. And they ain't even the worst things in the Everfree Forest. Be lucky you didn't come across a cockatrice."

"A what?"

"It's a critter with the head of a chicken and the body of a snake," Applejack replied. "I know that sounds goofy, but trust me, t'ain't. Look that thing in the eyes, it'll turn ya to stone. A fate worse than death, if ya ask me."

Isaac couldn't help but shudder at the though. "I don't want to imagine that."

"Y'all don't have any critters like that in your world?" Applejack asked as they neared a fence. "How about the Transformers?"

"The what?" Doris asked.

"The Transformers. You know, giant robots that turn into vehicles..." Her voice trailed off. "You don't know, do you?"

"Sorry," Doris replied.

"Well, ain't there any other critters around Jasper?"

"Jasper? You mean Jasper, Nevada?" Isaac asked.

"Yup."

"Jasper's a ghost town," Isaac replied. "No one's lived there in over ten years. And there certainly aren't any giant transforming robots."

"Huh. Not what I was expectin' ta hear," Applejack said.

They stopped walking as they neared the farmhouse. Applejack raised her foreleg to push the door open, but before she could touch it, it swung open, revealing a muscular red stallion, and old green mare, and a younger pony.

"Hey y'all," Applejack said.

"Applejack, where've you been?" the old mare asked. "We looked all over for ya."

"Eeyup," the red stallion added.

The young pony-who was slightly shorter than Applejack, with bright yellow fur and a red mane and tail, with a light red bow tied in her mane-hugged Applejack's leg. "You had us so worried."

"Look, y'all, I'm sorry for takin' off like that," Applejack said. "I saw something odd in the Everfree, and that's where I found these two." She pointed to Isaac and Doris.

The little filly trotted over to them. "More humans, huh? Do they know-"

"No, Apple Bloom," Applejack said. "They don't know Optimus and the Autobots."

Doris knelt down and began to pet the filly. "Oh, she's so cute. And that little bow is so adorable."

The filly-Apple Bloom-stepped away from Doris. "Easy on the bow. It was a gift from my pa."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Doris said.

"Quick question," Isaac said. "Why are you all acting like humans in the Pony World is an everyday occurance?"

"'Cause y'all ain't the first humans to come to Equestria," Applejack replied. "This is the third time."

"Really?"

"Eeyup," the red stallion replied.

_Is that all he says?_ Doris thought.

"By the way," Applejack said, "meet the rest of the family here in Ponyville: Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh, and Granny Smith." She turned to the door. "Well, don't just stand there, Big Macintosh. Let us tired folk in. Had a heck of a time in the forest savin' these two from a pack of timber wolves."

"You ran into timber wolves?" Apple Bloom asked enthusiastically. "What were they like?"

"Apple Bloom, that's not the sort of question you should be asking," Applejack said.

"Dang freaky, that's what they were like," Isaac replied. He and Doris followed Applejack and Apple Bloom into the house as the red stallion-now identified as Big Macintosh-stepped away from the door. "We've never seen anything like those things until today."

There was an audible rumble as Isaac and Doris's stomachs growled. They hadn't eaten anything all day; with all the excitement, they'd forgotten.

"If y'all got the munchies, we got plenty of stuff for ya to chew on," Applejack said. "Apples, apple pies, apple fritters, apple dumplings, apple turnovers, candy apples, caramel apples-"

Isaac swung his backpack off of his shoulders and opened it. He took out a can of fruit cocktail and handed it to Doris, then pulled out a can for himself.

"That's okay, Applejack," he said. "We went shopping before coming to this place."

"Oh. OK. Well, how 'bout y'all take a seat, get off your feet for a spell."

"Okay, thanks," Isaac said. He and Doris sat down on the couch near the wall.

Apple Bloom stared at the cans. "What's in there, exactly?"

"Peaches, pineapples, grapes, and a mixture of fruit juices," Doris replied. "Next to beans and corned beef-which is pretty nasty-this is the only nonperishible food item left on the shelves back in our world."

Isaac used his knife to cut the top of the can off and handed the knife to Doris, who proceeded to do the same. "Ever since the merger, things have been getting pretty hard," he said. "Now there's barely any food left, unless we kill one of the animals that are running wild."

"Kill the animals?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Don't you worry none, little sis," Applejack said. She patted Apple Bloom on the head. "We know that humans don't eat ponies. We'll be just fine." She turned back to Doris and Isaac, who were hungrily eating the fruit out of the cans. "And just what did you mean by 'the merger'?"

Isaac slowly chewed what was still in his mouth and swallowed. This was a rather touchy subject and one he would rather not expose these ponies to, especially young Apple Bloom, but if he and Doris were going to be in this place, this "Equestria" for a long time, they owed it to the primary residents to tell them the truth about their home world.

He took a deep breath, then began to talk.

"About fifteen years ago, the governments of every nation in our world came together as one, and aptly named themselves the One World Nation. They told the people of the world that the main goal was to end all wars between countries and have a world of peace, and for a few years, they seemed to be doing just that. But what we didn't know what that they had something else planned entirely.

"Within a few years, they began to show their true colors. They started rounding up hundreds of people every day. Those they deemed perfect were allowed to live, either as loyalists or soldiers of the One World Nation. Those they deemed imperfect or those who fought back were euthanized."

"Eutha-what?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I'm not sure we should say what that word means in front of her," Doris said. "Not exactly something for young ears." _Even if they _are_ pony ears_, she silently added.

"She's right, Bloomer," Applejack said. "How about you run along to bed, let the big ponies talk with the humans."

Apple Bloom scowled at Applejack, but turned and headed up the stairs anyway.

"Sorry 'bout my sis," Applejack said. "She can be a might stubborn. Guess we all get it from pa's side of the family."

"That's alright," Isaac said. "Where was I?"

"You were talking about people being taken," Applejack said.

"Oh. Well, within a few years, there were only a few people who hadn't been converted, forced to join the military, or killed off left, including Doris, my father, and myself. Until one day about five years ago, where the three of us were taken." He paused and stared down at the floor. "My father died that night, killed by those monsters. Doris and I have been on the run ever since."

The silence in the room was overwhelming. Isaac felt three pairs of eyes just staring at him in shock. He knew the look; it was the same look he had when his father died in his arms that night five years ago.

"I've heard some tales, youngun,"Granny Smith said. "But not a-one like that'n."

"Same here, not since Optimus Prime told us 'bout the war between the Autobots and Decepticons," Applejack added.

Big Macintosh simply shook his head and said: "Nope."

Applejack walked over to Isaac and put a hoof on his arm. "Sorry about your pa, Isaac," she said. "I...I know what it's like to lose someone close to you."

Isaac put a hand on the back of Applejack's neck. Her fur felt soft underneath his skin. "Thanks, Applejack." He yawned and stretched. "It's been a long day."

"Yeah, it has, Doris said.

"I think it's time we all turned in for the night," Applejack said. "Y'all can sleep down here if ya want. One can have the couch and the other can have the chair."

"Um, okay," Isaac said. "Thanks. I guess."

"Don't mention it, sugar cube," Applejack replied. "See y'all in the morning."

Even though Applejack had told her to go to bed-it was almost midnight, _way_ past her bedtime-Apple Bloom couldn't help but stay just out of sight at the top of the stairs and listen to Isaac's story. She'd met humans before, and while only the one with the long sword and the silver hair was evil, she didn't think humans could sink so low as to kill their own kind just for being different. And the fact that Isaac's dad was one of the ones who had been killed off was what really tugged at her heart strings.

And it made her think of her own ma and pa.

After hearing that everypony was going to get some shut-eye, she hurried to her room, but rather than turn off the lights and tuck herself in, she sat on the edge of her bed and stared at a picture of two ponies standing in front of the Apple Family Barn; two ponies she knew to be her parents.

_I don't even remember them outside of these photos and stories told by Granny Smith_. She felt her eyes start to water. _Ma, Pa, what happened to you? Where are you?_

She heard the clopping of hooves on the hardwood floor in the hallway. A few seconds later, she heard a series of doors open and close. Apple Bloom leaped off of her bed and slowly opened her door, peeking out into the dark hallway. She could just barely make out the light coming from the crack beneat the door to Applejack's room.

_I have to know. I _need _to know_.

She walked down the hall to Applejack's room and raised a foreleg. She hesitated; what was she expecting Applejack to say? What was she expecting to hear-that their parents went off on some business trip and never returned? That they got stuck in Appleoosa with Braeburn?

It didn't matter what Applejack would say, Apple Bloom needed answers. She lightly knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Applejack opened it.

"Apple Bloom? What are you still doing up?"

"Applejack, I have a question."

"Well, okay, go ahead."

Apple Bloom took a deep breath. "Applejack, what happened to Ma and Pa? How come they're never around?"

Applejack's jaw dropped. She slowly stepped away from the door as her eyes went wide with surprise. She hadn't expected Apple Bloom to be asking that question, not right now. Granted, she knew this day would come, but did it have to come so soon?

"How 'bout you take a seat on the bed. We'll talk there."

"Okay."

They sat down on the edge of Applejack's bed. Applejack kept her eyes on the floor, not wanting her little sister to see the tears that were starting to form. She wouldn't-_couldn't_-tell Apple Bloom about what happened to their parents; she was too young for that sort of knowledge.

_But I guess it can't be helped, can it?_

"What's the matter, Applejack?" Apple Bloom asked. Applejack pulled her sister close, wrapping both forelegs around Apple Bloom. "Applejack? You're shaking." She felt something wet fall on the top of her head. "And you're crying?"

"I was afraid this day would come, little sis," Applejack said. She wiped her tears away. "You don't remember much about Ma and Pa, do you?"

"Nothing, except that Pa gave me my bow for my birthday," Apple Bloom replied.

"Yes, but you were still just a filly, much younger than you are now."

"What are you getting at, Sis?"

Applejack wiped some more tears away from her eyes. "When you were just a filly, and when I was about your age, Ma and Pa were out in the old barn, trying to fix a beam that some termites had been chewing on for a few days."

"Yeah, you told me about them bugs."

"But there's more to it," Applejack said. "As they were getting ready to reinforce the beam, it broke, and the other beams couldn't handle the weight of the barn. It collapsed on top of them. By the time Big Mac and Granny Smith dug them out of the rubble..." She started to choke up.

"What? What?"

"It was too late. Ma and Pa were gone."

"You...You mean...Dead?"

Applejack could only nod her head in resonse. Apple Bloom just stared at her, not sure what to think or say. Her breath caught in her throat; her mother and father, dead, and she didn't even know who they were?

She felt tears begin to well up in her eyes, and she threw herself against Applejack, who wrapped her in a tight hug. They both just sat there for several moments, just letting the tears fall. Applejack stroked her little sister's mane and started to sing, the same sweet melody Applejack remembered Granny Smith singing to her just after their parents' deaths.

_"Alone for a while I've been searching through the dark, _

_For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart, _

_To weave by picking up the pieces that remain, _

_Melodies of life - love's lost refrain _

_"Our paths they did cross, though I cannot say just why _

_We met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said goodbye _

_And who'll hear the echoes of stories never told? _

_Let them ring out loud till they unfold _

_"In my dearest memories, _

_I see you reaching out to me _

_Though you're gone, _

_I still believe that you can call out my name _

_"A voice from the past, joining yours and mine _

_Adding up the layers of harmony _

_And so it goes, on and on _

_Melodies of life, _

_To the sky beyond the flying birds - forever and beyond _

_"So far and away, see the bird as it flies by _

_Gliding through the shadows of the clouds up in the sky _

_I've laid my memories and dreams upon those wings _

_Leave them now and see what tomorrow brings _

_"In your dearest memories, _

_Do you remember loving me? _

_Was it fate that _

_Brought us close and now leaves me behind? _

_"A voice from the past, joining yours and mine _

_Adding up the layers of harmony _

_And so it goes, on and on _

_Melodies of life, _

_To the sky beyond the flying bird - forever and on _

_If I should leave this lonely world behind, _

_Your voice will still remember our melody _

_Now I know we'll carry on _

_Melodies of life, _

_Come circle round and grow deep in our hearts, _

_As long as we remember"_

The two sisters just sat there, holding each other as they cried themselves to sleep.

Isaac stood at window, looking out into the night. It was well into the early hours of the morning, and he hadn't gotten much sleep; the events of the day were still replaying themselves through his mind, and he still felt as though someone had to keep watch at all times, even here. Granted, there was no sign of the One World Nation-at least not in this area-but he wasn't willing to take any chances; the same could be said about the timber wolves-even though Applejack said that they rarely came out of the Everfree Forest, he was still going to keep an eye out for them.

He opened the window. The cool night air felt good against his face. The sweet scent of the apple orchard filled his nostrils. After five years of smelling death, it was refreshing to smell something so fragrant, so beautiful. It was a refreshing change of scenery, sure, but one thing still bothered him.

He walked over to where he put his jacket-on top of the recliner chair-and took the Dragon Ball out of the pocket. How was he hoping to find the other six stones if he and Doris were in this world? He wouldn't be able to keep the promise he made to his father.

_Then again, how could I? Five years, and we haven't even _seen _another Dragon Ball._ He tightened his grip on the yellow orb. _I made a promise to my father, and I havent' been able to keep it._

He looked at a nearby clock. It was already close to three in the morning. He let out a sigh and closed the window. Convinced that there was nothing to worry about, he put the Dragon Ball back in his jacket pocket, sat back down in the chair, reclined, and drifted off to sleep.


	5. Welcome to Ponyville

WELCOME TO PONYVILLE

**COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!**

Isaac quickly snapped awake and shot to his feet, ready to fight. He looked around, saw he was still in Applejack's house. There was no sign of trouble, no sign of soldiers coming to execute him and Doris; just the same cozy home Applejack brought them to last night.

"Gollly, Isaac," Applejack said. She was standing on the bottom stair, giggling at Isaac. "Y'all are jumpier than a worm in an apple on cider making day."

"Habit, I guess," Isaac replied. "Gonna have to learn to break it." He saw that Doris was still sleeping on the couch. She looked so peaceful; it was the first time she'd gotten a decent night's sleep in a long time.

She slowly woke up. "Did the night have to end?" she asked as she stretched.

"I reckon y'all had a good night's sleep, then?" Applejack guessed.

"The first one in ages," Isaac replied. He stretched. "If only that damn chicken hadn't interrupted it."

Apple Bloom came bounding down the stairs. "Morning, y'all! Isaac, Doris, are you ready to meet the other Crusaders?"

"Crusaders?" Doris repeated.

"The Cutie Mark Crusaders," Apple Bloom replied. "Me and my friends Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo, three fillies on a quest to find our Cutie Marks."

"Later, Apple Bloom," Applejack said. "Got our morning chores to take care of first."

"You got it."

"Isaac, Doris, y'all can help out if you like." She headed outside, Apple Bloom close behind.

"Well?" Doris asked. "Why don't we lend them a hand. It'll be a nice change of pace from what we've been doing lately."

Isaac nodded. "Yeah." They headed outside.

The early morning sun shone brightly on the land. Dew glistened in the sunlight. A cool breeze flowed through the air. The sweet scent of flowers and apples filled their nostrils. They heard a stream nearby. The outline of a small town was in the distance, nestled in a valley between two mountain ranges. The mountains themselves seemed to glow with a sort of majesty in the early morning sunlight. In short, it was the most beautiful thing they'd ever seen.

"You two okay?" Applejack asked, bringing them back to their senses.

"Yeah, we're fine," Isaac replied. "Just...taking in the scenery."

"Yup. Sure is pretty in the morning, ain't it?"

"Pretty?" Doris asked. "Applejack, it's gorgeous. I've never seen a place like this before."

"Just wait till we get a little closer later on," Applejack replied. "Ponyville's the nicest little town you'll ever see." She stepped up to a pretty sturdy-looking apple tree, turned around, raised her hind legs, and kicked it as hard as she could, causing several apples to drop from the branches and land in the baskets below. "Anyways, got some apple buckin' to finish up before the end of the season. Only a few trees."

Isaac walked over to the nearest tree. A set of baskets had already been placed at the bottom. He looked up into the branches. There must have been over fifty apples up there, all various sizes, shapes, and colors.

"Oh, shoot, I forgot," Applejack said. "I know I said you two could help out, but you never been apple buckin' before, have you?"

"Just because we can't kick the trees doesn't mean we can't get those apples," Isaac said. He leaped up and grabbed the nearest branch. He pulled himself up and climbed to his feet. "Trust me, you learn really fast how to climb trees." He grabbed an apple. "One apple coming down, Doris!"

Doris held the basket up and caught the apple as Isaac dropped it. "Got it."

Isaac continued to climb up the tree, dropping apples as he went. Doris kept moving, trying to keep her aim steady as the basket began to fill up with apples. Within a few minutes, the tree was devoid of fruit and the basket was full. Isaac climbed back down and leaped to the ground from the lowest branch.

"That wasn't so hard."

"Heh. Not bad," Applejack said. "But there's still about ten more trees to go. I reckon we'll be finished in no time."

Isaac took a sip of the sweetest tasting apple juice he'd ever drank. Even though Applejack had told him and Doris that there were only ten trees to harvest, it had still taken them over two hours; mostly due to Isaac climbing the trees and plucking the apples off the branches while Applejack just kicked the trees. Apple Bloom had gone off to school before they were finished, and Big Macintosh was hauling the cart full of apples to the barn, where later today, they would be processed into apple cider, applesauce, apple butter, apple juice, candy apples, caramel apples, and baked into apple pies and apple fritters. Thinking about it was making Isaac hungry.

Applejack wiped some sweat off of her forehead. "Hoo-wee! Thanks a lot for the help, y'all."

"No problem," Doris replied. "I actually enjoyed that."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We've been on the run for so long we haven't had the chance to just have some fun."

Isaac finished off his apple juice. "Most of the downtime we had was spent keeping an eye out for danger. It was a nice change of pace." He started to walk towards the door.

"Isaac, where are you going?" Doris asked.

"I figure I'll take a look around, get familiar with the town and surrounding areas," Isaac replied. "We're probably going to be here a while, so we might as well get to know the place."

Doris hurried to join him. "Okay. We'll both go."

"Y'all ain't going nowhere," Applejack said. She galloped to get in front of them, blocking their path. "Not without somepony to guide ya."

"Thanks, Applejack, but I don't think we need a guide," Isaac said.

"Isaac, she knows this place better than we do," Doris whispered to him. "We should let her come along. This _is_ her home, after all. We're just visitors."

Isaac nodded. "Yeah. I suppose you're right."

"Then follow me, you two," Applejack said. She turned to face the other direction and started walking towards the town, Isaac and Doris following close behind.

Their eyes grew wide with wonder as they took in the sight of the town. It wasn't a very big town, but it was very lively. Ponies crowded the streets, visiting the shops and the restaurants and stopping to talk to one another; the buildings were made out of wood and stone with wooden or straw-thatched roofs. The sounds of conversation and laughter filled the air. It was rather surreal, hearing all of this; Isaac and Doris had grown accustomed to the silence, the only sounds they had heard over the last several years being the cries of wild animals and the occassional yell of soldiers when they were spotted. But this...This was so calm, it was almost sickening.

"This here is Ponyville," Applejack said. "I know it don't look like much, but it's home."

"It's great," Doris said. "So lively and colorful."

"It's okay, I guess," Isaac said. He took a look around. The streets were lined with ponies walking and talking and laughing and overall just having a good time, seemingly oblivious to the humans' presence. "It's like they don't see us or something."

"After the last two times humans showed up in Equestria, we sorta got used to it," Applejack replied. "Though don't be surprised if they ask y'all any odd questions. Some ponies may think ya know some of the other humans who showed up."

They started walking down the dirt road that cut the town in half. Several ponies stared at Isaac and Doris, more out of wonder than fear; perhaps what Applejack said was true, that they _were_ accustomed to humans in this world.

But that was what was plaguing Isaac's mind as the three of them walked; how had humans arrived here? Isaac was sure that he and Doris had come here thanks to that machine in the old Alten Labs building yesterday, but that didn't explain Applejack's stories of other humans, and certainly not these Transformers she'd mentioned. So many questions were running through his mind-when did humans first arrive in this world? How had this world been affected? Had these ponies seen the world of humans before, or was it the other way around?

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt something slam into him, knocking him to the ground. He sat up on his elbows, coming face to face with a mint green unicorn with bluish-green hair and a picture of a harp on her flank.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I should have been watching where I was-"

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm actually talking to a human!" the unicorn squealed.

"Excuse me?"

"Lyra, of all the times humans have been in Equestira, why're ya getting all worked up now?" Applejack asked.

"Sorry," the unicorn-Lyra-said. "It's just, I haven't gotten a chance to meet an actual human before! There was so much going on last time that I wasn't able to see them, what with that whole alien war going on. But now..." She let out a little squeal.

Isaac slowly climbed to his feet and brushed himself off. _What's this unicorn's problem?_ he thought. _It's like she's obsessed with humans or something._

Another pony-a regular pony, like Applejack-trotted over. Her fur was cream-colored, her curly mane and tail were navy blue with a pink stripe running down the center, and on her fland was a picture of three pieces of candy.

"There you are, Lyra," she said. She was breathing hard, like she'd been running. "Don't just take off like that; you scared everypony in the store."

"Sorry, Bon-Bon," Lyra said. "I just _had_ to come meet the humans."

Bon-Bon put a hoof over her eyes, the equivalent to a human facepalm. "You've been obsessed with humans ever since that first batch showed up a few months ago. It's starting to get a little scary."

"I'm just so excited!" Lyra squealed. She was, too; so excited, in fact, that she was practically shaking.

Applejack put her front hooves on Lyra's shoulders. "Whoa, there, sugar cube. Calm yourself, now. Deep breaths."

"Sorry, Jackie," Lyra said. "It's just, just..."

And then she did the last thing Isaac and Doris expected.

Lyra began to sing.

_Human beings fascinate me, being just the way they are!  
Tell me, little pony, can you push a cart or drive a car?  
Lyre is my instrument, but humans strum their sweet guitar  
It's a mystery, anthropology!_

Fingers, toes and tiny noses, brownish hair and tannish skin  
Would it be too much to ask to see the world they're living in?  
Everybody tells me that it's old and fake mythology  
It's a mystery, anthropology!

Aren't you bored of brushing your coat, styling your mane with your hooves?  
I don't mean to butt in or gloat, but ancient history proves...

Humans don't have wings or magic. They don't need it; they don't care!  
All they've got's imagination, new inventions everywhere!  
Babies, children, teens and elders, all alike have clothes to wear  
It's so real to me, anthropology!

Albert Einstein, Cleopatra, William Shakespeare, Elton John,  
Michael Phelps, Barack Obama...who's to say that they're all gone?  
Maybe humans like us too and dress like us at Comic-Con?  
It's so real to me, anthropology!

Yeah, they've had a couple of fights,  
Nobody's perfect you see,  
Still I say I'm born with the rights  
to study whatever I please!

I don't need to horse around now, I can stand on two legs!  
I would trade my magic powers for a pair of new legs!  
Grab your camera, come on, zoom in!  
'Cause your favorite mare's a human,  
ME!

That is who I'll be!  
Anthropology! shh.

"Um, was that show-tune really necessary?" Isaac asked. "I mean, you couldn't explain it normally?"

"Just wait till y'all meet Pinkie Pie," Applejack said. "Look, Lyra, I know you're excited about actually gettin' to talk to the humans, but we're kinda busy right now, so we'll meet up with ya later. Deal?"

"Well...Okay," Lyra replied. "See you around, humans!" She started trotting away. "Humans, humans..."

"Sorry about that," Bon-Bon said. "Even before humans first showed up in Equestria, Lyra was...excitable." She turned to follow Lyra. "Well, see you around."

"Okay, that was odd," Doris said. "Certainly not what I was expecting."

"Like I said, just wait till ya meet Pinkie Pie," Applejack replied. "Which reminds me, Sugar Cube Corner is pretty close. We can stop in for a treat and y'all can meet Pinkie."

"Some food would be nice," Doris said. "I'm starting to get hungry. How about you, Isaac?"

"Starving."

"Then come along, y'all," Applejack said. "Sugar Cube Corner is right down the street. And let me tell ya right now, one taste of them cupcakes and you'll be hooked for life."

Sugar Cube Corner, as it turned out, was a bakery shaped like a gingerbread house. The sweet scent of baked goods and delicious treats met the trio even before the building came into view, and just continued to grow in intensity as they approached. It was starting to make their mouths water.

"Man, the smells are making me even hungrier than I already am," Doris said. "I can't wait to try those cupcakes you told us about, Applejack."

"Trust me, sugar cube, the cupcakes in this place are to die for," Applejack replied. She raised a hoof to push the door open-

Only for it to open up, revealing a pink pony, bouncing up and down like a kid on a sugar rush. Her mane and tail-both of which were a darker shade of pink than her fur-were curly and messy, and she had a picture of three party balloons on her flank.

"Applejack! I'm so glad you're here!"

"Howdy, Pinkie Pie," Applejack said. "Figured me and the humans would stop by for a snack."

"Ooh! Humans!" Pinkie Pie ran past Applejack and started excitedly bouncing up and down in front of Isaac and Doris. "Hi there! I'm Pinkie Pie! I don't think I've ever seen you before. I mean, I've seen humans before, but I've never seen _you_ humans before? So what are your names? You know my name's Pinkie Pie so tell me yours!"

"Whoa, hey, calm down," Isaac said. "Remember to breathe. You're gonna pass out." _She's certainly more enthusiastic than Lyra, that's for sure_, he silently added. _I just hope _she_ doesn't break out into song, too_.

"Y'all, this is Pinkie Pie," Applejack said. "Pinkie Pie, meet Isaac and Doris. They popped in yesterday."

"Well, how come nopony else has seen them?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"We were in the forest most of the day," Doris replied. "Got chased by some weird looking wolf things. Applejack helped us escape."

"You ran into timber wolves? Oh, I'll bet that was super duper scary!" Pinkie said, still bouncing up and down.

"Okay, will you stop bouncing?" Isaac asked. "It's kind of creeping me out. Seriously, someone put this horse on ritalin."

"Riddle in?" Pinkie asked. "How do you riddle in?"

Isaac rolled his eyes. "Never mind," he said, growing slightly annoyed.

"Hey, Pinkie, how 'bout them cupcakes?" Applejack asked. "We didn't eat no breakfast this morning and we're mighty hungry."

"Cupcakes? Coming right up, AJ!" Pinkie bounded back into the bakery, moving so fast she was practically a pink blur.

"What's with her?" Isaac asked. "It's like she's got ADHD or something."

"ADHD? The hay is that?" Applejack asked.

"He means she's really hyper and can't focus on just one thing," Doris explained. "Not that that's a bad thing, of course."

They stepped into the bakery, and the scents got even more intense. Doughnuts, cupcakes, pies, bread, birthday cakes, carrot cakes, cheesecakes, every sort of delicious baked good one could imagine-all compiled into one place, with a scent so delectible that it was making the three of them hungrier than they already were.

Pinkie Pie stood behind the counter. "So, what kinds do you want? Chocolate? Chocolate chip? Chocolate and vanilla?"

"Just give me chocolate," Doris said.

"Yeah, same here," Isaac added.

Pinkie turned to Applejack. "How about you, Jackie?"

"Ah, just a regular ol' muffin'll do, thanks," Applejack replied.

Pinkie Pie brought out three muffins from behind the counter. Isaac and Doris took in the sweet aroma, their mouths watering. They slowly picked up their muffins and took a bite.

"Wow! This is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted!" Isaac cried. He quickly ate the rest of it. "Certainly a change from canned fruit."

"Yeah, it is," Doris said as she finished off her own muffin.

"Wow, you were hungry," Pinkie Pie said. "Here, I'll get you another."

"No thanks, Pinkie Pie," Doris said.

"Anyways, we still got some wandering around to do," Applejack said. "Gotta finish showing these two around town."

"Ooh, ooh, I'll come with you!" Pinkie cried, bouncing up and down.

"Sure, Pinkie."

Isaac and Doris followed the two ponies outside. Now that it was later in the morning, the town was starting to get a lot busier-shops were opening, vendors started selling their products on the streets, mail was being delivered...Besides the fact that it was inhabited by cartoon-colored talking ponies, it was beginning to look and feel like a real town.

Something Isaac and Doris had been missing for so long.


	6. Generosity, Loyalty, and Kindness

GENEROSITY, LOYALTY, AND KINDNESS

IT WAS NOW LATE IN THE MORNING, ALMOST NOON. A LIGHT BREEZE WAS blowing through town, and the sun shone brightly overhead. Doris squinted her eyes as she looked up at the clear sky. She'd forgotten what it looked like; she and Isaac had gotten so used to seeing a sky filled with gray clouds with little to no sunlight shining through.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

"What's that, sugar cube?" Applejack asked.

"The sky. It's so clear. I haven't seen a cloudless sky in so long, I'd forgotten what the sun looked like."

"Yeah, I know," Isaac said. "It's kind of refreshing." _And a reminder of why I have to find the other six Dragon Balls. I really don't know why I'm wasting my time here with these ponies._

"Sure looks like the Pegasuseses have been doing a good job," Pinkie Pie chirped.

"The what?" Isaac asked.

"She means the Pegasi," Applejack replied. "They control the weather."

"Wait, wait, wait," Isaac said. "Pegasi? As in, Pegasus plural?"

"Ooh, he's good," Pinkie Pie whispered to Applejack. Applejack just brushed her aside.

"You mean to tell us that the weather is controlled by a couple of winged horses?" Isaac asked. "What's next, a unicorn raising the sun?"

"No, silly, a unicorn doesn't raise the sun or the moon," Pinkie Pie replied. "Alicorns do."

"Did you just say, alicorn?" Doris asked. She turned to Isaac. "Wolves made of trees, talking ponies, Pegasi, and alicorns...What the heck kind of world have we sent ourselves to?" Isaac's only response was to shake his head.

"Well, we're pretty close to Rarity's place," Applejack said. "Carousel Boutique's just 'round this corner here."

"A boutique?" Isaac repeated.

"Yeah," Pinkie Pie replied. "You know, clothes and stuff. And she does it all with magic."

"Rarity's a magician?" Doris asked.

"Close," Applejack said. "She's a unicorn."

"Unicorn," Isaac whispered. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Come on, y'all," Applejack said. "We're here."

The boutique was a two story, conical-shaped building, pure white, and it appeared to be studded with diamonds and other assorted jewels. It started off wide on the bottom before forming a point at the very tip of the roof.

Applejack pushed the door open. The room inside was lined wall to wall with racks of clothes-dresses, suits, casual wear, some dresses studded with a variety of jewelry. Just looking at them from this vantage, even Isaac had to admit that whoever made them did a good job.

A pearl-white pony stepped out from behind one of the racks. Just as Applejack had said, she was a unicorn. Her royal purple mane and tail were neatly curled, and she had an image of three diamonds on her flank.

"Good day, dear customer," she said, her voice very proper, speaking with an almost British accent. Or was it Mid-Atlantic? Isaac wasn't sure. "And welcome to Carousel Boutique."

"Howdy, Rarity," Applejack said.

"Oh. Applejack. Pinkie Pie. What an unexpected pleasure. What brings you here?"

"New humans," Pinkie Pie said. "Just showing them all around Ponyville."

"New humans?" Rarity repeated. She walked around the other two ponies to get a good view of Isaac and Doris. "Well, on behalf of all of Ponyville, let me just sa-a-a-Oh my stars, darlings! What ever happened to your ensembles?"

"What? Oh, you mean our clothes?" Isaac asked. "Well, it's kind of a long story."

"There's no time for that!" Rarity cried. She ran behind Isaac and Doris and started pushing them with her front hooves. "We have to fix this at once!"

She pushed them into a nearby dressing room. Her horn began to glow.

"What's she doing?" Doris asked.

"Unicorn magic," Applejack replied.

"Yeah, you know. Hocus pocus, boogly-woogly-woo, that sort of thing," Pinkie Pie added.

There was a quick flash of light. Their old clothes were now in a pile in the corner, having been replaced with new ones-a royal blue dress for Doris and a snappy suit for Isaac.

"There we go," Rarity said as she deactivated her unicorn magic. "A gorgeous gown for the lady, and a simply smashing suit for the gentlecolt."

"Wow. This feels weird," Doris said.

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked.

"I guess we've gotten so used to wearing our old clothes new ones just don't feel right," Isaac replied. "Couldn't you have just used your magic to clean them or something?"

"Oh. Why didn't I think of that?" She activated her unicorn magic again, replacing the new clothes with the old ones, but this time they were much cleaner and lacked the holes and tears. "There we are. Good as new. Honestly, I don't know _how_ you could have gone wearing those things for so long."

"Like I said, we've gotten used to it," Isaac replied. "Huh. You did a pretty good job, Rarity. I'm impressed."

"Me too," Doris said as she looked her clothes over. "I haven't seen these things so clean in years."

"Years?" Rarity repeated. "Why ever were you wearing those old rags for years?"

"Long story, Rare," Applejack said. "So, ya wanna join us for the tour? We still gotta show them 'round town."

"I'm afraid I must decline your generous offer, Applejack," Rarity said. "I have an order I need to finish up for a very important client in Canterlot. Perhaps I'll be able to join you later?"

"Sure thing, Rarity." She headed towards the door. "Well, come on, y'all. Still got some lookin' 'round to do."

"Bye bye, Rarity," Pinkie Pie chirped as she bounced towards the door. Isaac and Doris followed, not saying anything, simply waving.

"Well, that was...interesting," Isaac said.

"How so?" Doris asked.

"Well, she seems nice and was generous enough to at least offer to fix our clothes, but it just felt so awkward having a unicorn do it, you know?"

Before anyone else could say anything, something slammed into Isaac, throwing him to the ground and knocking the wind out of him. He felt as though he'd been hit by an angry rhinoceros. He gritted his teeth against the pain that was welling up inside his chest. Whatever it was that had hit him, it had hit him hard; surprisingly, nothing felt broken, and despite the pain, he was able to sit up on his elbows and look at the thing that had hit him.

A cyan Pegasus, with a rainbow-colored mane and tail and a picture of a cloud with a rainbow-colored lightning bolt on its hindquarters.

"Oops," the Pegasus said with a chuckle. "Um, sorry about that. I guess I lost control."

Doris helped Isaac to his feet. "Are you alright?"

"I think so. Sure does sting, though." He looked at the Pegasus. "Did somebody launch you out of a cannon or something?"

Pinkie Pie pressed her face against the Pegasus' face. "You had a cannon party and didn't invite me?"

"No, Pinkie," the Pegasus said. She pushed Pinkie away. "I said I lost control doing my stunts."

"What sort of stunts?" Pinkie asked. "Barrel rolls? Loops? Somersaults? Slaloms? A Sonic Rainboom?"

Applejack put a hoof in Pinkie's mouth, quieting her. "Easy, Pinks. Remember to breathe."

"Anyway," the cyan Pegasus said. She turned to Isaac. "Again, sorry for running into you like that."

Isaac rubbed his chest where the Pegasus had hit him, trying to dull some of the pain. "What were you doing, anyway?"

"Practicin' for the Wonderbolts again, Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked.

"You know it," the Pegasus-now dubbed Rainbow Dash-replied. "Though I sort of lost control after that last flip."

"Who are the Wonderbolts?" Doris asked.

Rainbow Dash looked at her and Isaac like they were some sort of sideshow freak. "You've never heard of the Wonderbolts?"

"Well, these two ain't exactly from here, Rainbow," Applejack said. "They don't know."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Rainbow Dash said. "Basically, the Wonderbolts are the best flying team in all of Equestria! And I'm gonna be one some day."

"Sounds sort of like the Blue Angels," Doris said. "If they were still around."

Isaac put his hands in his jacket pockets. "Yeah, great. Look, we're a little busy, so-Wait." He pulled out his pockets. "Oh no. Where is it?"

"Where's what?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I can't lose it," Isaac said. "I just can't. Doris, help me find it!"

"Find what?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I lost my Dragon Ball. I have to find it!"

"You lost your dragon's what now?" Applejack asked.

"Where'd you last see it?" Doris asked as she helped Isaac scan the ground.

"It was in my pocket when we left Applejack's place this morning," Isaac replied. "And I know I had it when we left the bakery and the boutique. It must have fallen out when Rainbow Dash slammed into me."

"Oops," Rainbow Dash said sheepily. "Sorry."

Isaac balled his hands into fists. "Shit! Where the hell did it go?!"

"Um, excuse me, sir?"

Even though the voice was no more than a timid squeak, it got Isaac's attention. He turned around to see another Pegasus, this one a creamy yellow color with pink hair and a picture of three butterflies on her flank, holding the Dragon Ball-not so much holding it, more like balancing it on one hoof.

"I think you dropped this."

Isaac quickly took the Dragon Ball from the Pegasus. "Thanks." He looked it over, checking for any blemishes or cracks. There were none, thankfully. "I can't lose this. It's all I have left of my father."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the new Pegasus said, her voice no more than a squeak.

Isaac breathed on the Dragon Ball and used the sleeve of his jacket to clean it before putting it back into his pocket. "It's alright. I'm just glad it wasn't totally lost."

"Anyway, that was some good flying, Rainbow Dash," the new Pegasus said, quickly changing the subject.

"Yeah, but I totally botched it up at the end," Rainbow Dash said. "The wind just happened to hit me at the right angle and I just lost control. But at least your cheering's getting better, Fluttershy."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Fluttershy squeaked. "I'll do better next time."

"Hey, no worries," Rainbow Dash said. She turned her attention to Isaac and Doris. "So, do you two-"

"If you're going to ask us about giant transforming robots, the answer is-no, we don't know any," Isaac quickly said.

"Oh. Well, that answers that question," Rainbow Dash said. "So, how did you two get here?" She hovered in the air, pressing her face against Isaac's. "Magic spell? Ground Bridge? Come over from the western ocean?"

"Whoa, hold on!" Isaac cried. "First off, do you mind backing up?" Rainbow Dash slowly flew backwards a few feet. "Thanks."

"So, how did you two end up in Equestria?" Rainbow Dash asked again.

"We were running away," Doris replied.

"Away from what?" Fluttershy quietly asked. "Monsters?"

"No," Isaac said. "Well, not the kind you'd think of. We were running away from...other humans. Evil humans."

"Yup, seen one of them once," Applejack chimed in.

"I don't exactly know what happened, it all went by a little too fast," Isaac continued. "I just mashed some buttons on a control panel and the next thing I knew, Doris and I were in that forest being chased by those wooden wolves."

Fluttershy gasped. "You ran into a pack of timber wolves?"

"Yeah, that's what Applejack called them," Doris replied. "Freaky things."

"You must have been so scared," Fluttershy squeaked. "Poor things."

"But enough about that," Isaac said, quickly changing the subject. He looked at the Dragon Ball in his hand again. "I have to find the rest."

"The rest of what?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"We've been searching for the other six Dragon Balls for about five years," Doris replied. "No luck in finding even one."

"Whoa! You're looking for a dragon's _WHAT_?" Rainbow Dash snapped.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Rainbow," Isaac said, somewhat disgusted. He held up his Dragon Ball. "This is a Dragon Ball. Supposedly, there are seven of them and when they come together they can grant a wish."

"Really?" Pinkie Pie asked. "How do they do that?"

"I don't know," Isaac said. "Maybe Puff the Magic Dragon pops out or something. Haven't been able to gather much information on these things." He put the stone back into his pocket. "All I know is, I have to find the rest. I have to set things right back in my world."

"Well, don't you wanna know how they work?" Applejack asked. "Come on, I'll bet Twilight has a book about these Dragon Ball thingies."

"Who's Twilight?" Doris asked.

"She's a very good friend of ours," Fluttershy replied. "She's smart and really good with magic."

"Let me guess," Isaac said, totally deadpan. "Another unicorn."

"And a total egghead," Rainbow Dash added.

"Well, no offense, but I don't think a unicorn might be much help when it comes to the Dragon Balls," Isaac said. He sighed. "But, why the hell not. Let's go. Lead the way, ponies."


	7. Magic

MAGIC

APPLEJACK AND THE OTHER PONIES LED ISAAC AND DORIS TO A TALL OAK tree on the eastern end of town. The tree had a door with a candle emblazoned on it, and several windows dotting the three floors. The large canopy of the tree provided some comfortable shade against the warm afternoon sun, and now the cheerful sounds of chirping birds were accompanied by the buzzing of a busy hive of bees.

And there was a sign in front of the tree.

Doris took a closer look at the sign. "'Golden Oaks Library'. This unicorn lives in a library?"

"Told you she was an egghead," Rainbow Dash said. "Which reminds me, I gotta get that Daring Do book back to her next week."

Applejack raised a hoof and knocked on the door. It swung open, revealing a small purple and green lizard.

"Hi, you guys," the lizard said, it's voice clearly that of a young male.

Isaac bent down to get a better look at the lizard. "What's with the Bubble Bopple dragon?"

"Holy cow, more humans!" The lizard raised a clawed hand. "Hiya. Name's Spike."

"Who is it, Spike?" a voice called from deeper inside the library.

"Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy," Spike called back. "And they brought some more humans too, Twilight."

Another pony quickly galloped to the door, pushing Spike out of the way as she stopped. As Isaac and Doris expected, this pony was a unicorn, just like Rarity. Her fur was lavender and her mane and tail were a dark purple with a magenta stripe running down the middle. Her hair was neatly trimmed, and on her flank was a purple star surrounded by several smaller white stars.

"I didn't think humans would ever come back to Equestria," the unicorn said. She quickly cleared her throat. "Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm a student of Princess Celestia."

"You mean to tell me there's a pony princess?" Isaac asked. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "This place is weirder than I thought."

"Nice to meet you too, Twilight," Doris quickly said. "I'm Doris. This is my friend Isaac."

"So, what's up?" Twilight asked, turning her attention to the other ponies.

"Well, we were hoping you might have some information about these things called Dragon Balls," Applejack replied.

"Wait, my _WHAT_?!" Spike shouted.

Isaac took the Dragon Ball out of his jacket pocket. "No. These things."

"Oh."

Twilight's horn started to glow, as did the Dragon Ball. Isaac felt it begin to levitate from his hand. He tightened his grip and pulled the stone closer to him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I wanted to take a closer look at it," Twilight said. "I've never seen a real Dragon Ball before. I've just read about them."

Rainbow Dash hoverd up to Doris's ear. "Egghead," she whispered with a chuckle.

"Well, ask first," Isaac growled. "This is something I absolutely can _not_ lose."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Twilight said, her ears flopping down in guilt. "May I please take a closer look at your Dragon Ball?"

Issac looked at Twilight, then looked at his Dragon Ball. For some reason, he didn't trust this Twilight Sparkle, but then again, she seemed so sincere and nice. He looked back at Twilight, then back to the Dragon Ball.

"Fine," he said, sighing. He held out the Dragon Ball.

Twilight's horn glowed again, as did the Dragon Ball. It levitated out of his hand and over to Twilight. She slowly spun it around with her unicorn magic.

"Wow," she breathed. "I've never seen a real one before. This is incredible." She turned her attention back to Isaac. "You wouldn't happen to know where the others are, would you?"

"Been looking for five years," Isaac replied. "Haven't found one. We know that if we get all seven we can have a wish granted, if that's what you mean."

"How'd you-"

Isaac took the stone away from Twilight. "My father told me. Just before he died."

"Ooh, that stinks," Rainbow Dash said.

"Well, he _did_ say earlier that that stone was all he had left of his father," Fluttershy timidly said.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Twilight said.

Isaac put the Dragon Ball back into his pocket. "It's okay."

"So, where did you learn about the Dragon Balls, Twilight?" Doris asked.

"Oh, from one of my books," Twilight said. She used her unicorn magic to start sifting through several-hundreds-of books. "Okay, where is it? Where's that copy of _Mystical, Magical Medallions_? I know it's here somewhere."

Pinkie Pie dashed into the library, over to a shelf, and pulled a book off the shelf with her front hooves. She held it above her head. "Here it is, Twilight!"

Twilight levitated the book over to her. "Where'd you find it, Pinkie?"

"It was under 'M'," Pinkie Pie replied, happily bouncing up and down.

"Oh."

"Question," Isaac said. "Pinkie, how were you holding that thing with no fingers?"

"I was holding it with my hooves, silly filly," Pinkie replied.

"Yeah, I know," Isaac said. "But you don't. Have. Fingers. There's no way you could have held that book with no fingers."

"Well, um, I was holding your Dragon Ball earlier, and I don't have fingers either," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah, but you were balancing it on your hoof," Isaac replied. "And Twilight's using magic. But as for Pinkie...I don't know! That doesn't seem physically possible! I mean, it's not like this is a cartoon where you can say 'screw physics' and do whatever the hell you want."

"All I did was pick it up with my hooves," Pinkie said.

"Yes, I know, but HOW?!" He let out a defeated sigh. "You know what, forget it. I could spend days, or even weeks, trying to figure out how you held onto that book with no fingers, and still get nowhere."

Twilight used her magic to flip through the book. "Okay, let's see here. D, D, Dr, Dra, Drag-a-ha! Here it is! 'Dragon Balls are seven magical orbs created by a being known as the Guardian of the Earth. Individually, a Dragon Ball is no more than a priceless stone, but when all seven are brought together, they can summon Shenlong the Eternal Dragon to grant one wish, so long as that wish does not exceed the power of the one who created him. These wishes can be anything from making one rich to creating or destroying an entire planet to bringing the dead back to life'."

"Looks like you were right about the magic dragon thing, Isaac," Applejack said.

Twilight used her magic to put the books back on the shelves. "So, that's what brings the two of you to Equestria, huh?"

"No, not really," Isaac replied.

"They were running away," Pinkie Pie said. She scrunched up her forehead and bared her teeth. "From evil humans," she added, lowering her voice to a fake monstrous hiss.

"Pinkie, enough," Isaac said. "But, yeah-let's just say that not all humans are friendly."

"Believe me, I know," Twilight said. "The first time humans came to Equestria, there was an evil human, too. Tried to destroy our world, but we stopped him-with help from the good humans, of course."

"And then there was that thing a few months ago with the Transformers," Rainbow Dash added. "Didn't mind the Autobots-"

"But the Decepticons were so mean and scary," Fluttershy finished with a squeak. She lowered herself to the ground, her light pink hair covering her face.

Doris knelt down and put a hand on Fluttershy's back. "Well, they're gone now, right?"

"Anyway," Isaac said, wanting to change the subject. He took a quick look around and whistled. "This is quite the place you have here, Twilight. I don't think I've seen so many books in all my life."

"If you think this is impressive, you should see the one up in Canterlot," Twilight replied.

"Canterlot?"

"Equestria's capital city. It's nestled up in the mountains. And it's a really beautiful place."

_I'd settle for anything compared to what we got back home,_ Isaac thought. He took the Dragon Ball out of his pocket. "So, they're called Dragon Balls because they summon a dragon. Makes sense, I guess. Still, I doubt the other six are gonna be here in this world."

"Well, we won't know unless we look, right?" Twilight asked enthusiatically.

"Why are you so excited?" Isaac asked. "This doesn't concern any of you ponies. My father wanted Doris and I to find them, so we can make our wish and set things right again back in our world."

"So _that_ would explain the poor state of your wardrobes."

They all looked to the door of the library. Rarity was standing there. None of them had heard her approach. She stepped into the library.

"Hi, Rarity," Spike said, hearts in his eyes.

Isaac leaned down to Twilight. "Let me guess," he whispered. "He's got the hots for Rarity."

"Yeah."

"She's a unicorn, he's the Bubble Bopple dragon. I don't exactly see how that would work."

Rarity was about to say something to Twilight when she caught sight of the Dragon Ball in Isaac's hand. Her eyes grew wide and a smile spread across her face as she came closer. Isaac pulled the stone away from her.

"Hey! Don't even think about it!"

"I was merely admiring your stone," Rarity said. "I've never seen anything like it. What is it, exactly?"

"It's a magical wishing stone called a Dragon Ball," Pinie Pie said, still bouncing up and down. "Collect all seven and a giant dragon can grant whatever wish you want!"

"Ooh, a magical, wish granting dragon!"

"Sorry, Rarity, but I'm the only one making a wish on these things," Isaac said. "It's really important to me." He put the Dragon Ball back into his pocket.

"Oh. Well, if it's important to you, then by all means, don't let me be in your way," Rarity replied sweetly.

"So, what about your project?" Doris asked.

"Oh, I already mailed it off to the client," Rarity said. She turned to Twilight. "Twilight, I was wondering if you could help me with something. I need a book on old-style fashions, from back during the beginning of Celestia's reign."

"Why do you need to know about a fashion that's over a thousand years old?" Twilight asked.

"Wait, so you mean that your pony princess has been ruling for over a millenium?" Isaac asked. He put his head in his hands. "This is just...I need some air." He walked outside.

"What's wrong with him?" Rainbow Dash asked.

#######################

Isaac took a deep breath as he sat down against the side of the library. He looked up at the clear blue sky. The memories started flowing back to him. The night they were taken-the same night his father was murdered; running and hiding from the One World Nation and Alten Labs for five years; their futile hunt for the remaining six Dragon Balls; and now he and Doris were here, in this land called Equestria-a land inhabited by talking, pastel-colored ponies-including unicorns and pegasi-who were governed by a one thousand year old Alicorn princess. Sure, it was a change from what he and Doris had been subjected to for the past five years, but of all the places for that transporter to send them, why here?

Isaac didn't believe in fate or superstition. He believed that everything happened for a reason, that whatever happened had been made to happen. He didn't know what buttons he was pressing at the time-his attention was focused on the soldiers aiming their guns at their heads-so maybe it _was_ just by pure chance that he and Doris ended up here, in this quiet, innocent and...

_Peaceful. That's the only other way to describe it. Quiet, peaceful, innocent Equestria. Well, except for those wolf creatures that attacked Doris and I yesterday-we're grateful to Applejack for saving us, of course. But still, why? There's no proof that the Dragon Balls are here. Maybe we just weren't looking hard enough back home._

He leaned back against the large trunk of the oak tree and closed his eyes. _I guess it doesn't matter now. There's no way we can get back. Face it, Isaac. You and Doris are stuck here, forever. You might as well make the most of it._

"Isaac? You alright, sugar cube?"

Isaac opened his eyes. Applejack was standing next to him, a worried look on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Applejack. I was just letting all of this sink in. Didn't really get a chance to yesterday."

"Look, if y'all don't like it here-"

"No, I love it here," Isaac said, cutting her off. "It's such a welcome change, something I'd wanted to see so long, talking magical ponies aside-no offense. My world is so bleak and lifeless, every day a constant struggle just to survive, every evening a celebration of having survived yet another day. But here, everything's so bright and peaceful."

"Wasn't so peaceful a few months back."

"But look at it now, Applejack," Isaac said. "I would do anything to have my home look like this. That's why Doris and I have to find the other Dragon Balls. It's just, I don't even know if they're here in Ponyville, let alone Equestria." He closed his eyes again. "One of the last things my father told me before he died was to gather the Dragon Balls and have them grant my wish. I don't want to let him down. I _can't_ let him down."

"You want to live up to his last wish, don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

Applejack put a hoof on Isaac's shoulder. "Don't you worry none, sugar cube. We'll help you find them wishin' stones."

"I told you, Applejack, you and the other ponies shouldn't get involved. This is my quest."

"Fuzz and feathers," Applejack said. It sounded to Isaac like she had just cursed. "We know this place a heck of a lot better than any y'all do. You're better off _with_ us than without."

Isaac didn't open his eyes, didn't look at the orange pony standing next to him. He kept quiet as he thought about what she had just said.

_Maybe she's right, maybe we _do_ need them. Doris and I are strangers in this strange land. After all, we owe Applejack. If it hadn't been for her, those wolves would have eaten us yesterday._

He opened his eyes and looked at Applejack. "Okay. You win."

"Great. I'll go round up the gang and we'll start lookin' right away."

Isaac watched Applejack gallop back into the library and wondered if he was doing the right thing, allowing the ponies to help him?


	8. The Hunt Begins

THE HUNT BEGINS

TWILIGHT HAD GONE OVER HER CHECKLIST SEVERAL TIMES, JUST TO MAKE sure that she had all the supplies she needed for this trip. They had decided that they would search the more accessible parts of the Everfree Forest for signs of the Dragon Balls-they might even be able to ask Zecora about them-before coming back to Ponyville at the end of the day. That didn't leave a whole lot of time to search for these stones, only a few hours, since it was now pushing four in the afternoon-Isaac, Doris, and the other ponies had all gone off to gather supplies for the trek.

"Twilight, are you sure this is a good idea?" Spike asked. "I mean, you're going into the Everfree Forest."

"Yes, and?"

"Well, you know what sort of dangerous monsters live in there. Timberwolves, manticores, cockatrices, hydras-what if one of them's really hungry and what if pony is on the menu?"

"Don't worry, Spike. We've gone into the Everfree plenty of times."

"Yeah? Well, remember that hydra that nearly ate all of us at Froggy Bottom Bog?"

"That was over a year ago, Spike."

"Yeah, but still-"

"Spike, our human friends need our help finding the Dragon Balls. The Everfree Forest is the most logical place to start looking."

"Really?" Spike asked, totally deadpan. "You wouldn't want to start around town?"

"Well, Isaac and Doris said they were in the Everfree when they arrived in Equestria," Twilight replied as she put the last of her supplied into her saddlebag. She strapped the saddlebag shut and used her unicorn magic to slip it onto her back. "So we're gonna start searching there."

"Still, I'm not so sure about this?"

"Come on, Spike," Twilight said as she made her way to the door. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Spike crossed his arms. "You could all end up dead."

"We're not even going that far into the forest." She used her magic to open the door. "I'll be back in a few hours, Spike." She walked out the door, closing it behind her with her magic.

###################################

"Fan-freaking-tastic, we're back here again," Isaac groaned. He and Doris were standing at the edge of the forest, along with the six ponies. Just looking at the forest was filling him with dread-he was certain that those wolf creatures were still in there, and there was bound to be more than just those things. If this world had wolves made out of trees, then what other monsters would be waiting for them once they stepped into the forest?

"Well, maybe the Dragon Balls are near the place the two of you entered Equestria," Twilight said. She started walking towards the forest. "Come on. We've only got a few hours to search."

Isaac shook his head, but followed Twilight anyway. She might be right.

_Then again, this whole thing might turn out to be a dud._

Doris caught up to him. The other ponies were right behind her. "I still don't like this place. Those wolf things might still be in here looking for us."

"Wouldn't surprise me if they were," Applejack said. "Even after being smashed to bits, a timber wolf has the magical ability to put itself back together again."

"Great," Isaac growled. "Just what we needed to hear."

"Hey, quit worrying about it," Rainbow Dash said as she flew to catch up to them. "A couple of mangy mutts won't be a problem for us."

"Uh-huh," Applejack said. "Rainbow, anytime we've dealt with timber wolves, we only managed to get away from them thanks to some trickery. That and throwing rocks at them."

"You mean like that time Spike saved you from that big one by making it choke on a pebble?"

_I'm not even going to ask,_ Isaac thought as he turned his attention back to the path.

The further they walked into the forest, the darker it got. Twilight and Rarity used their unicorn magic to light up the immediate area so they could see where they were going. They walked slow so they didn't miss the yellow glow of a Dragon Ball-and keep their ears tuned to the sounds of the forest, in case a timber wolf or other creature were stalking them. Doris remembered last night how Applejack had mentioned manticores and cockatrices; she wasn't familiar with either of those creatures, but she didn't want to meet them, especially not in the middle of this dark forest.

It was getting to the point where not even the light coming from the unicorns' horns could illuminate the area. All they could see was the demonic-looking trees, which seemed to be closing in on them.

_It's just an illusion,_ Isaac silently told himself. _This forest is just screwing with our heads._

"So, do you think we're getting close?"

The sound of Rainbow Dash's voice caught him off guard. He flinched, but quickly regained his composure.

"Close to the Dragon Ball or close to where Doris and I ended up in this place?" he asked.

"Um, both?"

Isaac scoffed. "Hell if I know. Everything seems to be blending into each other. I can barely even see my hand in front of my face."

"Yeah, the Everfree can do that," Twilight said from up front. She increased the amount of light coming from her horn. "Let's just be glad we haven't encountered any monsters."

"And as for the Dragon Ball, I really don't know," Isaac said. "Before we got here, we were looking for one when my Dragon Ball started to glow." He took the yellow orb out of his pocket. Its glow was much brighter than usual. "Just like this."

"Maybe that means we're gettin' close," Applejack suggested.

"I don't know," Doris said. "Like he said, it was doing that before we ended up in Equestria. Just because it's glowing doesn't mean there's a Dragon Ball nearby."

"She's right," Rarity said. "I see it with gemstones all the time, especially those with a bright shine. You can use some as a way to locate others of the same kind, but that's extremely rare."

Isaac put the Dragon Ball back into his pocket. As he did, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He turned to the left, quickly taking out his knife and raising it.

"Isaac? What's wrong?" Fluttershy asked, nervously stepping back at the sight of Isaac's knife.

Isaac let out a sigh and put his knife back into the holster around his ankle. "It's nothing, Fluttershy. I just thought I saw something moving in the bushes, that's all." He rubbed his eyes. "God, this place is starting to mess with me."

"Well, we won't have to worry about that for much longer," Twilight called from up front. "There's a light up ahead."

Isaac noticed that the forest seemed to be thinning out. It was getting easier to see, and more light was filtering in through the canopy. As they neared the edge of the forest, he could make out what looked like a mountain, surrouned by a dirt plain.

The eight of them let their eyes adjust to the change in the light as they took in their new surroundings. It could have been taken as a desert, if it weren't so chilly. Other than the trees behind them, there was no plant life here. The dirt was black, almost like ash, and the large rocks looked brittle-almost as though they would break with the slightest touch. This all led to a large mountain about half a mile away.

"Is there a volcano around here?" Doris asked.

"No. Why?" Twilight wondered as she and Rarity turned off their magic.

"She's asking because of the dirt," Isaac replied. "Black dirt is really ash from a volcano. And look at those rocks; they look like even a light tap would shatter them. That's usually a sign that there is, or was, a volcano around here."

"Well, this part of Equestria hasn't had any volcano activity since prehistoric times," Twilight said. "_LONG_ before the rule of Princess Celestia."

"Enough talk about that!" Rainbow Dash cried as she zoomed in front of them. "We don't have a whole lot of time, so let's get looking for that Dragon Ball!" She zoomed off, leaving a rainbow trail behind her.

"Wow. And I thought _we_ were the only ones desperate to find those stones," Doris said as the rest of them started walking.

"She gets impatient," Rarity said.

"So we noticed."

#####################################

They'd split up, searching every nook and cranny with extra care. They checked under and around every rock-even the smallest ones-and looked inside every depression. Twilight and Rarity were using their magic to levitate several rocks, carefully examining each one and tossing it aside when they saw it wasn't what they were looking for. Applejack was pushing rocks out of her way and checking inside the depressions they left; she had also used her hind legs to shatter a couple of rocks and look inside the rubble a couple of time. Fluttershy was carefully checking under every stone. Rainbow Dash was flying high overhead, circling the area and using her Pegasus eyes to look for a yellow gleam. Pinkie Pie was...digging, which struck Isaac as odd. Why would she dig? And not only was she digging holes, but interconnecting them as well, since she would often come up in a different place.

"Hayseed," Applejack moaned after looking inside another shattered rock. "I ain't finding this darn thing."

"Nor am I, and I've sorted through close to five hundred rocks so far," Rarity said. She deactivated her magic; the rocks she had been levitating fell to the ground. "I'm so exhausted."

Isaac was also getting frustrated. The eight of them had been all over the area at least twice, and there was no sign of the Dragon Ball. He wiped sweat off of his forehead and noticed the light beginning to fade.

"This is getting us nowhere," he said. "Don't you think it's time we head back? I don't know about any of you, but I don't want to be out here after dark."

"Trust me, you got the right idea," Rainbow Dash said as she landed next to him.

Doris saw something move behind a nearby rock. She cautiously approached it, careful not to attract its attention. She wasn't sure if it was friendly or aggressive, but she didn't want to take that chance; she and Isaach had had way too many close calls over the past five years.

_I just hope it's not another wooden wolf._

It wasn't a timber wolf, but it did resemble a bull dog-if a bull dog were to ever stand up on its hind legs. It was about as tall as a human, with stony-gray skin, short bird-like legs, and long powerful arms. Its face was very bull dog-ish, save for the massive underbite, and it wore a black vest with several gems stuffed into the pockets.

The dog thing stood up as Doris backed away. "Whoa. What are _you_?"

"A diamond dog," it said, its voice raspy.

"Oh. Well, at least you're not a timber wolf."

"Ugh, just _what_ is that thing doing here?" Rarity scoffed. "Its kind caused me so much trouble the last time I encountred them a year ago."

"Ah, the pony who wouldn't stop whining!" the diamond dog moaned. "We _still_ have nightmares about your horrible noises!"

"So what are you doing here?" Twilight asked as she and the others joined Doris and Rarity.

"Heard you looking for jewels and-"

"And figured you'd take it from us once we found it, right?" Rainbow Dash demanded, pressing her face up against the diamond dog's.

_Is this thing looking for a Dragon Ball too?_ Isaac silently wondered. _But how would it know about the stones? Unless..._

He took his Dragon Ball out of his pocket. "Hey, dog. Have you seen a stone like this one?"

"Isaac, what the hell are you doing?" Doris asked.

The diamond dog rubbed its chin. "Maybe I have," it said.

And then, before Isaac could react, it reached out and took the Dragon Ball out of his hand!

"What the-?" He mentally kicked himself in the ass for doing something so stupid and chased after the diamond dog, leaping over the rock and sprinting after the beast. "Get back here, you bastard!"

"Isaac, wait!" he heard Twilight call.

He didn't stop, he just kept chasing the diamond dog until it came to a large hole in the ground. The dog leaped into it, Isaac following close behind.

################################

He landed hard on his back; a sharp pain shot up through his whole body. Wincing at the stinging sensation in his central spine, she sat up and looked around. He was inside some sort of cavern, the only source of light being the burning torches on the walls. There were multiple tunnels-at least fifty, and those were just the main ones Isaac could see-and each one was studded with clumps of gemstones and other precious stones.

"But no Dragon Ball," he said aloud. He shook his head. "Of couse there's no Dragon Ball. That damn dirty dog took it because I was stupid enough to show it to him! God, I'm such an idiot." He took a torch off of a wall and waved it around, illuminating more of the cavern. "Now, where the hell did that mutt get to? I'm gonna get my Dragon Ball back, even if I have to kill that thing." He took his knife out of its holster and tightened his grip on its handle as he looked around, trying to decide which tunnel to go down.

"I guess I'll try the one with the most gems in the walls," he said. "Which would be...this one." He started down the nearest tunnel, walking slowly in the dark. The torches were fine, but fire could only illuminate so much.

The sound of voices began to echo off of the stone walls, telling him that he was close to the thief's lair. But there wasn't just one voice, there were multiple-some raspy, some deep, some high-pitched; it was like a thief coven or something.

Isaac pressed his still-sore back against the wall and peeked out from the side. He saw several more diamond dogs-two more dressed in a similar fashion to the one that stole his Dragon Ball, the rest dressed in a bronze-colored armor and armed with long spears. They were surrounded by a horde of jewels. Among the jewels was Isaac's Dragon Ball and-

_There's another Dragon Ball there! They've got the one we've been looking for!_

The two yellow orbs were nestled atop the horde, the light of the flaming torches being reflected off of their smooth surfaces. The second Dragon Ball was adorned with seven orange stars.

_So when I get them, that'll make two Dragon Balls!_ He excitedly clenched his fist. Finally, after five years, some progress! He could barely contain his excitement!

But now he was faced with a different dilemma-a majority of those dogs were armed with spears, each one ranging from anywhere between three and eight feet long, and all he had was a six inch Bowie knife. He also had his martial arts and ki training that his father had given him a long time ago, but he wasn't sure how that would help him.

_I guess I'll never know until I get in there and take those stones_. He tightened his grip on his knife, took a deep breath, and stepped out from behind the stone wall.

"Hey! Dogs!" The dogs all turned their attention to him. "I think you have something that belongs to me." He glanced over at the two Dragon Balls atop the treasure hoarde. "Make that two somethings. I'm here for those Dragon Balls, so just let me take them and this won't have to get ugly."

"Forget it, you hairless ape!" the diamond dog that took his Dragon Ball snapped. "You're not taking any of our jewels! Get him, boys!"

The armed dogs charged at Isaac. Isaac lowered himself down, bending his knees and raising his knife. It was now or never.

He threw the torch. It hit the nearest dog in the face, the flames burning his eyes, blinding him. With his newly-freed hand, Isaac grabbed the staff of another dog and yanked it out of its owners hands. A good kick to the back sent the dog sprawling. He readjusted his grip on the spear and threw it. The tip hit a dog in the shoulder, piercing through the armor and flesh and coming out the other side. The dog fell to the floor as its blood continued to pour out of the wound.

Isaac quickly jumped back as the remaining dogs began to throw their spears. He ran away from them, narrowly avoiding the pointed tips of the projectiles They stuck harmlessly in the ground behind him.

The dogs charged at Isaac. He raised his knife, ready to fight. The first dog that got close swung at him. He blocked the dog's punch and kneed it in the stomach, knocking the wind out of the canine and sending it sprawling. The next dog got a hard punch to the face, followed by a swift kick to the side of the head.

A dog leaped onto Isaac's back. He struggled to throw it off, but the dog maintained its tight grip, wrapping its massive arms around his neck. He could feel his windpipe constricting every time he tried to breath, felt his muscles and lungs burning from being cut off from the precious oxygen his body needed in order to function.

_Gotta act fast before this guy snaps my neck!_ He turned his knife the opposite direction, so that he was now holding it backhand, and reached behind him, the blade of the knife piercing the diamond dog's exposed skin. The dog yelped in pain as Isaac drove the blade deeper into the dog's flesh. It released its grip on Isaac's neck and he pulled the knife out of the dog as it fell to the ground, blood gushing out of its wound.

He took a few deep breaths before turning his attention to the remaining dogs. They just watched some of their comrades fall-three of them now dead or dying-and still they were ready for a fight.

"Come on then," Isaac said, bending his knees. He waved the dogs towards him. "Come at me, boys."

The dogs charged. Isaac matched their charge, running at them. They met halfway, and Isaac made the first move-sticking his knife into a dog's exposed neck, severing its jugular and killing it instantly. He quickly moved on to the next dog, jumping and spinning as he kicked it in the head with enough force to crack the armored helmet the dog was wearing. He ducked, dodging a punch from another dog, a punch which connected with the snout of the dog behind Isaac. With his right arm, he punched the dog in front of him in the chest; with his left arm, he elbowed the dog behind him in the gut. Both dogs fell to the ground, gasping for air.

Isaac stood up straight and looked around. All the armored dogs were on the ground, and in various injured states-some were trying to breathe after having the wind knocked out of them, some were unconscious, and at least four were dead or dying. He wiped his hands on his pants, then took his knife out of a dog's throat.

"Now, if you don't mind," he said, wiping the blood off of the blade with the hem of his jacket, "I'll be taking those Dragon Balls."

#######################################

Three diamond dogs came running down the cavern tunnel, as if they were running away from a monster. Doris and the ponies braced themselves for a fight, but the dogs barreled right past them.

"Please, keep him away from us! He's a monster!"

"What in the world are they talking about?" Rarity asked.

"I think him," Rainbow Dash replied as she pointed down the cavern with a hoof. The others looked in the direction she was pointing and saw Isaac calmly walking down the tunnel, his face drenched with sweat and the splatter of blood. And he was smiling, something Doris hadn't seen in a very long time.

"Isaac, are you okay?" Doris asked. "What happened in there?"

"Well, I've got good news," Isaac said as he reached into his jacket pockets. When he pulled his hands out, he was holding two Dragon Balls, one in each hand. "We're finally making some progress with this."


	9. Princess of the Night

PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT

ISAAC SPLASHED WATER ON HIS FACE, TRYING TO WASH OFF THE DIRT AND the blood. After he met up with the others with the Dragon Balls in hand, they made their way out of the caverns and back through the Everfree Forest, coming out near a small stream. Isaac had been washing his face ever since-that was nearly an hour ago.

He felt sick; he always felt sick whenever he was forced to kill anyone-or in this case, any_thing_. Human, animal, it didn't matter to him. Even if it was necessary, he didn't like to watch anything die.

_Well, they say every cloud has a silver lining. And the silver lining in this case is that we now have two Dragon Balls. But how did they end up in this world?_ He splashed one more handful of water on his face. _I guess we'll worry about that later._

"Are you done yet?"

Isaac could detect a hint of impatience in Rainbow Dash's voice. He shook the water from his face and turned around. Rainbow was hoving in the air nearby, her front legs crossed.

"Seriously, you've been doing that for almost an hour!"

"Sorry, Rainbow Dash," Isaac said. He stood up. "Just trying to get all that blood off."

"What happened down there, exactly?" Doris asked. "You didn't kill them, did you?"

"A few, I think," Isaac replied with a sigh. "I really didn't want to, believe me." He took the Dragon Balls out of his pockets. "But hey, we got two Dragon Balls now. We're finally starting to make some progress!" He put the Dragon Balls back into his pockets and high-fived Doris. "Finally!"

"What exactly are you going to do with those things, anyway?" Twilight asked.

"Fix things in our world, of course," Isaac replied. He stretched and yawned.

"Yeah, it was a pretty long day," Twilight said. "I think it's time we all headed home for the night."

The sound of galloping hooves filled the air, and a short moment later, Apple Bloom and two other little fillies arrived. One was a small white unicorn, much like Rarity, with a purple and lavender mane and tail, and the other was an orange Pegasus with tiny wings.

"Apple Bloom/Sweetie Bell/Scootaloo, what are you doing here?" Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash all asked.

"We've been looking for the humans ever since school let out," Sweetie Bell replied.

"Yeah," Scootaloo added. "We were about to give up when Bon-Bon said she saw them going into the forest with you."

"And what made the three of you think they weren't like Sephiroth?" Rarity asked. "You remember that monster, don't you?"

"Yeah, but what are the chances they'd be like him, right?" Apple Bloom asked, a huge smile spreading across her face. She turned her attention to Isaac and Doris. "Hi again!"

"Oh. Hey, Apple Bloom."

"Who are your super adorable friends?" Doris asked. She knelt down and started petting Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo.

Scootaloo quickly jumped back. "Do I look like a dog?"

"Isaac, Doris, meet Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell," Apple Bloom said. "And the three of us make up the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

"Crusaders?" Isaac asked.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders," Sweetie Bell replied. "On a quest to find our Cutie Marks."

The three fillies huddled together and shouted at the top of their lungs: "THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS! YAY!"

"Ow," Isaac moaned, holding his ears. "Could you possibly be any louder? You know what, don't answer that."

"So, did you find your dragon thingie?" Apple Bloom asked. "Big Mac told us that you went out looking for some balls?"

"We found one Dragon Ball," Twilight said. "Can we show them, Isaac?"

"Well...Okay, I don't see why not." He reached into his pockets and took out the Dragon Balls. "Here you go, kids." He put the two stones on the ground in front of the three fillies.

"Wow. They're so pretty," Sweetie Bell said, the Dragon Balls reflecting in her bright eyes.

"I've never seen anything like these," Scootaloo said.

"They're a lot smaller than I expected," Apple Bloom added.

Isaac picked up the Dragon Balls and put them back into his jacket pockets. "Just got five more left to find, and then we can make our wish."

"A wish?" Scootaloo repeated.

"Well, they say that once all seven Dragon Balls are brought together, they'll summon a dragon to grant one wish," Twilight explained. "Just read about that today."

"So do you think we can wish for our Cutie Marks?" Sweetie Bell asked.

"I...don't think that'll be possible, kids," Isaac replied. "Doris and I have a very important wish we need to make."

"Does it have anything to do with your world?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Apple Bloom! Where did you hear about that?" Applejack demanded.

"I, uh, kind of listened in last night when you told me to go to bed," Apple Bloom replied, lowering her face.

"Don't be so hard on her, Applejack," Doris said. "She would have found out eventually."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Yeah, this has been nice and all, but can we get going now?" Rainbow Dash asked, growing more impatient by the minute. "I got things I gotta do. Like finish _Daring Do and the King's Curse_ before I crash."

"Yeah, we'd better get going," Applejack said. "Hey Isaac, Doris, y'all gonna do like ya did last night?"

"Um, sure," Isaac said. "Lead the way, Applejack."

They all said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

##############################

Isaac rolled left and right, trying to get those images out of his head, but they weren't leaving. They were still plaguing him, no matter what he did. Those same horrible images, those same hellish sounds-they continued to play in his mind, like a song set to repeat over and over again.

_The sound of the bullets ricochetting off the walls echoed through the hallway as Isaac continued to run. He felt chips of the linoleum floor being kicked up by the impact of the bullets, the chips smacking against his legs and arms; he could feel the heat of the bullets that just narrowly missed his head, but he couldn't stop running. If he did, he was dead._

_ He slipped as he rounded a corner, barely managing to catch himself on the wall. The soldiers were right behind him. He had to keep running, but as he looked down the hallway, it seemed like it had no end. It was just an endless void; even if he were to keep running, he'd eventually tire out, and the soldiers would catch him._

_ He felt something tear through his shoulder-a bullet. He pressed his hand against the wound as blood poured out of it. The blood soaked his shirt, his skin, and drenched the floor, covering the once white linoleum tiles in red liquid._

_ The sound of guns being cocked filled his ears. He looked up, saw he was surrounded by the soldiers, their guns pointed right at his head._

_ "Go ahead," he said. "Do it." He closed his eyes and waited to hear the last sound he would ever hear - the thunderous sound of a bullet being fired from a gun._

_ But it never came. Slowly, Isaac opened his eyes. The soldiers were gone._

_ "What the - ?"_

_ A new sound filled the air, the sound of hooves clopping on the hard floor._

_ "Applejack? Rainbow Dash? Twilight Sparkle?"_

_ He looked around, his eyes straining to see in the darkness._

_ There was a sudden flash of light. Isaac was blinded. After a few moments, his vision finally started to come back to him, albeit blurry at first._

_ "Is that...another pony?"_

_ Standing in front of him, just a few meters away, was indeed an equine figure. A female, by the look of it. She was a full head taller than Applejack and her pony friends. Her fur was a dark navy blue - her front half, anyway. Her back half was black, the only light coloring being the marking of a half moon on her flank. She wore a black collar with a similar marking, and a black tiara decorated her head, sitting just in front of her unicorn horn. Her dark blue wings were spread out in a somewhat regal manner, and her mane and tail - which were both as black as night and decorated with white dots, similar to the stars in the night sky - were flowing as though in a calm stream. Just staring at this pony - which Isaac had to admit was very beautiful - removed all of the anger and fear inside him, and replaced it with a warm feeling._

_ "Who - what are you?"_

_ "Luna, Princess of the Night," the pony replied._

_ "The soldiers, what happened to them? They were about to kill me!"_

_ "Nay, child. 'Tis but a dream."_

_ "So, you're in my dream with me? Ever hear of privacy?"_

_ "Please, forgive the intrusion, but we noticed that thou were suffering."_

_ "Okay, so why are you doing this? Why are you in my dream?"_

_ "We come to comfort."_

_ Isaac winced as a new surge of pain rushed through his wounded shoulder. "Yeah. Great. You're really comforting. Good job, Princess. Now if only I could wake up."_

_ Luna walked over to him and put a hoof on his good shoulder. "There is much that you fear. We know."_

_ "How do you know anything about me? We've never met before."_

_ "'Tis not the other humans you fear, is it, child? No, there is much more than that."_

_ "Okay, seriously, stop acting like you know me. It's kind of creeping me out."_

_ "What you fear most involves your father, is it not?"_

_ Isaac looked up at Luna. "What?"_

_ "You fear letting him down, do you not?"_

_ Isaac batted Luna's hoof away and quickly stood up, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. "What the hell are you talking about?"_

_ "You need not hide your true fears from us, child."_

_ "Shut up. Shut up. Shut the hell up!"_

_ "You do not need to fear what you fear. For you shall complete your task."_

_ All of Isaac's anger gave way to confusion. "What?"_

_ "The seven magical stones that thou was tasked with collecting...Thou shall collect them all. Put thy fears to rest, dear child. All shall be well."_

_ "How do you know that I _will_ get all the Dragon Balls?" Isaac asked. "Can you see the future, too? That'd be something; a psychic pony that can enter your dreams and see your future."_

_ Luna chuckled. "'Tis not because we can see that future that we know this, child. No. We believe. And so should you. For so long you have lived in fear of failing the task your father gave you, but we say to you: Just believe in thyself. Believe, and you shall complete your task."_

_ Isaac turned away from Luna and closed his eyes. "You...You make it sound so easy, Princess." He opened his eyes and turned back to Luna, who was beginning to fade away. "Princess Luna!"_

_ "Believe in thyself, Isaac Lawrence!" Luna called as the last of her being faded away._

_ In a matter of seconds, Luna was gone, and Isaac was once again surrounded by the soldiers. He barely had time to react before he felt the heat of a metal bullet tearing through the muscles of his heart._

##########################

Isaac let out a small yell as he opened his eyes. He looked around. He was still at Applejack's place, still in the same chair he had fallen asleep in. Doris was still on the nearby couch, fast asleep - she must not have heard him scream.

Isaac quickly checked his shoulder. No bullet hole. He let out a sigh of relief.

_It really _was_ just a dream. But even so, how the heck did Princess Luna get into my dream? How is that even possible?_

"Isaac? You alright, hon?"

Applejack was standing next to him, a worried look on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Isaac said as he sat back in the chair. "It was just a dream, that's all. What are you doing down here anyway, Applejack?"

"My throat was feeling a might dry, so I went and got a sip of water when I saw you thrashing around over here like a fish stuck on dry land. And you were moaning something awful, too. Tried wakin' ya up, but you weren't responding to me."

"Sorry. That dream felt a little too real."

"Well, least we know you're A-OK."

"Yeah." Applejack started for the stairs. "Hey, Applejack?"

"Hmm?"

"How is it possible for your princess to get into my dreams?"

"Oh, had a little run-in with Luna while you were in there, didn't ya? Yeah, she tends to do that from time to time. She don't mean no harm by it, of course. She talk to ya?'

"Yeah. It's strange; it was like she knew who I was, even though we'd never met before. And she told me that I'd find the rest of the Dragon Balls."

Applejack chuckled. "Yup, that's Princess Luna for ya. Like I said, she don't mean no harm; her heart's in the right place."

"She sure did talk funny, though."

"Yeah, being stuck on the moon for a thousand years really puts a pony behind on the times."

"Wait, what?"

"I'll tell ya about it in the morning. Right now, I think it's about time you and me got back to getting some shut-eye."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. See you in the morning, Applejack."

"Sweet dreams, pardner."

Isaac leaned back in the chair and stared at the cieling for a moment. Luna's words still echoed through his mind.

_"'Tis not because we can see that future that we know this, child. No. We believe. And so should you. For so long you have lived in fear of failing the task your father gave you, but we say to you: Just believe in thyself. Believe, and you shall complete your task. Believe in thyself, Isaac Lawrence!" _

_Believe in myself? That's all she had to say? Well, I suppose that now, with two Dragon Balls in hand, I _do_ believe. I believe Doris and I will find the other five. And then we can make the wish to fix everything._

He closed his eyes and drifted off into a now dreamless sleep.


	10. Study Time

STUDY TIME

DORIS ROLLED ON THE COUCH, TRYING TO KEEP THE MORNING SUN FROM filtering in through her eyelids. She'd had a good night's sleep; she didn't want it to end now - especially now that she knew she and Isaac were finally making progress, having found another Dragon Ball just yesterday.

The sun was winning the fight; her eyes began to open.

'GOOD MORNING, DORIS!"

Apple Bloom's loud greeting startled Doris; she rolled off the couch and hit the floor.

Isaac quickly jumped up from the chair he was sleeping in, his knife raised. "What's going on?"

"Sorry," Apple Bloom said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Doris sighed. "Well, don't do that again, Apple Bloom," she said. She patted Apple Bloom on the head. "It's very startling."

"I already said I was sorry, what more do you want?"

Isaac put his knife back into its holster and looked at the nearby clock. "I know this isn't really any of my business, Apple Bloom, but shouldn't you be in school? It's 9:30 already."

"Why would I go to school on a Saturday?" Apple Bloom asked. "Silly."

"Oh."

The front door opened, and Applejack stepped inside, wiping some sweat off of her brow with her foreleg. "Well, morning y'all. Heard Apple Bloom's wake up call all the way in the western orchard."

"I was that loud, huh?"

"Shoot, I wouldn't be surprised if they heard ya all the way in Manehattan, little sis," Applejack replied with a chuckle. She turned to Isaac and Doris. "So, let me guess - gonna go hunting for more Dragon Balls today, huh?"

"Can me and the other Crusaders help out?" Apple Bloom enthusiastically asked. "Can we, sis? Please?"

"I don't know, Bloomer," Applejack replied. "You know how I feel about you going into the Everfree Forest unsupervised."

"Unsuper-what?"

"She doesn't want you going anywhere by yourself," Doris said.

"Well, what about around Ponyville? I'm sure there might be a Dragon Ball somewhere in town."

"We would have seen or heard about one yesterday," Isaac said as he threw on his jacket. "And to answer your question, Applejack, I was actually thinking about going to the library and borrowing that book Twilight got that information about the Dragon Balls from yesterday. I want to do some of my own research on these things."

"Why would ya wanna do that?" Applejack asked.

"Well, Doris and I have been looking for these things for five years, but we still don't know much about them," Isaac answered. "I just want to learn more about them."

"Well, don't let me stop you," Applejack said. "You going with him, Doris?"

"Not right away, no," Doris replied. "Think I'm gonna wander around town, see what there is to do around here. Might stop in at Sugar Cube Corner for a snack later."

"I got an idea!" Apple Bloom piped up. "You could come with us and help me and the other Crusaders find our Cutie Marks!"

"What _is_ a Cutie Mark, anyway?" Doris asked.

"It's a marking that appears on a pony's flank whenever he or she discovers her special talent," Apple Bloom said. "Sweetie Bell, Scootaloo, and I are the only three in town without ours, so we're doing whatever we can to get them. That's why we call ourselves the -"

"Don't scream it," Isaac pleaded.

"THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS! YAY!"

_I knew it was too much to ask for_, Isaac thought as he pulled his hands away from his ears. _Ow, my poor eardrums._

########################################

The door to the library opened as Isaac approached the large tree. Spike stepped out and shut the door behind him.

"Hey Isaac, what's up?"

"Oh. Hey, Spike."

"Don't tell me; Twilight went on about all those books and you couldn't resist taking a look at them, right?" Spike asked, crossing his arms.

"No; I just need to look at one so I can learn more about the Dragon Balls," Isaac replied.

"Well, good luck getting her attention so you can ask her about it," Spike said. "She's started one of those day-long study sessions and is most likely gonna be so wrapped up in her books that she won't notice what's going on around her."

"Is that right?"

"Yup, she does this from time to time. So I got the day off."

"Day off?"

"Spike, Number One Assistant to Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia herself. Or I usually am, unless she's doing something like this. Anyway, I'm headed into town. Catch you later, Isaac."

"Yeah, sure." Isaac watched as Spike walked away. _Twilight is the princess's personal student? She didn't mention anything about that. I'll have to ask her about it._

He slowly opened the door and stepped inside. "Twilight? Hello?" He walked up the stairs to Twilight's personal quarters and found her sitting at a small desk against the far wall, a tall stack of books to the right of her. Set up on the little stand next to him was a stack of papers, three feather quills, and three jars of ink. "Twilight!" She still didn't seem to hear him.

_Okay, you want to play this game? We can play this game._ He's seen something like this before, with an Alten Labs scientist who was so wrapped up in his work he didn't notice what was going on around him - until Isaac moved something sligthly out of place.

Recalling that incident, Isaac reached over to a jar of ink and gave it a slight push, moving it a millimeter to the left.

Twilight let out a startled scream as she turned around. "Oh. Isaac. I didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah. I noticed. God, Spike wasn't kidding when he said you got wrapped up in your studies."

"Sorry about that," Twilight said as she walked over to him. She put the ink jar back in its place.

_Wow_, Isaac thought._ Never knew a horse to be obsessive-compulsive._

"What's up?"

"Well, I was wondering if I could borrow that book. The one you read about the Dragon Balls in?"

"Oh, sure. One moment." She headed downstairs into the library. Isaac followed. As he neared the bottom of the stairs, he saw Twilight's horn glowing; several books were also glowing as they floated around her.

"Here it is. _Mystical, Magical Medallions._" She levitated the book over to him. He took it out of the air and watched as Twilight used her magic to put the other books back in their places. "I'm sure there's much more information about the Dragon Balls in there."

"I hope so," Isaac said as he began to flip through the book. He stopped every now and then to look at the pictures of the many artifacts featured. "Doris and I know virtually nothing about them."

"A lot of the medallions in that book are quite mysterious," Twilight said. "Well, let me know if you need anything. I'll be studying if you do."

"Yeah."

Isaac went upstairs after Twilight. "You don't mind if I sit out on the balcony and read, do you?"

"Go right ahead."

"Thanks."

Isaac walked out onto the balcony and sat against the wall - rather, the outer trunk of the tree - and opened the book. He wanted to go right to the section with the Dragon Balls, but he found himself being drawn to many of the other medallions and talismans the book mentioned.

There was the Alicorn Amulet, which greatly increased the magical power of the user, at the cost of the user's own sanity; the Crystal Heart, which powered the Crystal Empire and which in turn was powered by the unity of the ponies who lived there, fittingly called Crystal Ponies; but the most intruguing by far was the Elements of Harmony, which - according to this book - were the most powerful relics in Equestria.

Isaac shook his head. _What the hell am I doing? I should be reading up on the Dragon Balls, not these other things. Besides, I don't think these other things are very important anyway. Not to me, at least._

Isaac went back to the beginning of the book to look at the table of contents. "D, where are you? Okay, there's D, now what about - there it is. Dragon Balls, page 296 to page 315." He flipped through the book until he came to the right page. "Okay, there we are."

The first thing that caught his eye was a picture of all seven Dragon Balls arranged in a circle with one of the stones in the center. Beneath that was the paragraph Twilight had read yesterday. Nothing new there. He turned the page. The first thing that caught his eye was a description of all the things the Dragon Balls had been used for.

_Some of these things Twilight already mentioned, like bringing someone back from the dead. I find it hard to believe these things could possibly create and destory entire planets._ He flipped back to the previous page. _Says here that the Eternal Dragon can't make a wish that surpasses its creator. Creating and destroying whole planets seems to be stretching it a bit, don't you think?_

He continued reading. "Hold on." He skimmed the paragraph. " 'Once the Dragon Balls are used, they scatter across the globe until such a time as they are gathered again'. Great. So a one-use wonder." He kept reading. " 'Additionally, the Dragon Balls can only revive someone who has passed on to the next life once'. That means the second time, dead is dead. No coming back." He took one of the Dragon Balls out of his jacket pocket. Now he was faced with the same dilemma he was just two days ago - once all Dragon Balls had been gathered, would he bring his father back or would he make everything right, as his father wanted?

_What am I going to do?_ He tightened his grip on the orb. "Damn it, I don't know what I should do!"

"Whoa! Isaac, what's the matter?"

Isaac looked through the doorway. Twilight was staring at him, a worried look on her face.

"Sorry, Twilight. I was just thinking out loud."

"About your wish?"

Isaac nodded. "It's just, even before you said the Dragon Balls can bring someone back from the dead, I thought about reviving my father. But if I do that, I'm out of a wish, which means that I won't be able to make things right back home. I'd have to gather the Dragon Balls again, but since it's taken five years just to find _one_, I don't know if I can do it. I don't know what I should do."

Twilight walked over to him and put a hoof on his shoulder. "Isaac, listen. I'm not going to tell you what you should do with your wish, but I do have a question: What do you _think_ you should do?"

"I really don't know," Isaac replied as he put the Dragon Ball back into his pocket. "I guess I'd do like he wanted and make everything right again. My world's nothing but a living hell hole, a cesspool of death and despair. We were promised utopia, and instead we got dystopia."

"Sounds like you've had it pretty rough lately."

"You don't even know the half of it, Twilight. I only lost my father; I never knew my mother and had no friends growing up, other than Doris. Doris was forced to watch her entire family be butchered by those monsters."

"Oh my."

"Even worse, it was her own brother who did it. He was forced into the military, and when the rest of Doris's family refused to cooperate - her mother and father, as well as her sister and other brother - he shot them in cold blood, putting a bullet in their brains."

"Oh dear." She turned away. "I - I think I'm going to be sick."

"It gets worse. I've seen people rounded up in droves, just to be killed by firing squad. Men, women, children - it didn't matter to the armies of the One World Nation. Anyone who refused to join their military or swear their allegiance to them was euthanized, put down like some wild animal."

"Didn't - didn't anyone try to fight back?"

"There were a few resistance groups, yes, but as far as I'm aware, they were all destroyed. Not even the Power Rangers could stand up against them. And these Autobots you keep talking about - nobody in my world has ever heard of them. I'm not saying they weren't here, it's just that no one ever said anything about them being involved in this...senseless slaughter of innocent life. Six billion people in my world, and when Doris and I came here two days ago, five billion had been killed off; the rest in the military or allowed to live as loyalists. We managed to survive these last five years by sneaking around and stealing and when necessary, killing."

"Now I know what you meant when you said you wanted to make things right."

"Twilight Sparkle, there's nothing I wouldn't do to get my world to look like this." He waved an arm towards Ponyville. "Look at this place; so colorful and bright - it's peaceful. Beautiful, even. I'd do anything to see this back home. I spent the last five years wondering if I'd ever get a good night's sleep without having to keep one eye open for a One World Nation soldier or loyalist, wondering if I'd ever see a color besides gray and red. Doris and I may have come to Equestria by pure accident, and we may have only been here for a couple of days, but this is the best thing that's ever happened to us. In some ways, I don't want to go back to that hell."

"But that's your home world, isn't it?"

"It is, but when you spend most of your life just trying to make it through one day, when seeing the night seems like the best thing you've ever done, well...Let me just say that you should be glad you don't have to deal with anything like that. Yeah, you and the other ponies talk about the last times humans were in Equestria and how things got a little hectic, but at least you weren't watching the world erode in front of your eyes."

"Maybe not, but we've dealt with all sorts of threats before."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Nightmare Moon, who - after getting into a feud with Princess Celestia one thousand years ago - escaped her imprisonment on the moon and tried to bring about eternal night; Discord, who...Well..."

Isaac heard her voice catch in her throat, like she didn't want to say anything else.

"What'd he do?"

"He...He stole the Elements of Harmony, forced me and my friends to go on a futile hunt through Canterlot's hedge maze without using our magic or wings, slowly turned my friends into the opposite of who they are, and the whole time threw Equestria into utter chaos." She tried to repress the memories, but the more she talked, the more they came back to her. "The worst part about it is, he didn't do anything to me. But in the end, I too fell under his influence. If it weren't for Princess Celestia, we never would have beaten him."

Isaac saw tears forming on the edges of her eyes. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me anymore. I can tell you and your friends have endured some...tough times, even before humans first showed up here."

Twilight blinked the tears away. "You could say that, yes. Well, better get back to my studying."

"Hey Twilight, one more thing."

"Huh? What?"

Isaac flipped through the book until he found the entry with the Elements of Harmony. "Elements of Harmony; that's these things, right?" He pointed to a picture of six pieces of regal jewelry - five necklaces and a tiara.

"That's them," Twilight replied. "For the longest time, only five were known to exist - honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, and loyalty. That is, until Nightmare Moon came back. That's when the sixth - and most powerful - element, magic, was discovered. That's how my friends and I stopped Nightmare Moon and purged the hatred and jealousy out of her, turning her back into Celestia's sister, Princess Luna."

"Wait, Princess Luna?"

"Yeah."

"I know her."

"How? You haven't met her yet."

"She came to me last night in a dream. And Applejack mentioned something about her being stuck on the moon for a thousand years. Guess Nightmare Moon explains that. That, and the whole olde English speak."

"Yeah, Luna's been slowly catching up with the modern times. Celestia says she's been making good progress. Even though Luna screamed in terror when she first saw a sewing machine."

Isaac couldn't help but chuckle. It was the first laugh he'd let out in so long. He hoped there'd be more moments like that.

For now, he was just glad to have all of that off of his chest.


	11. Pains of the Past

PAINS OF THE PAST

DOWNTOWN PONYVILLE WAS BUSTLING WITH ACTIVITY; PONIES AT THE street vendors - including Applejack's apple stand and Bon-Bon's candy store - ponies talking about the gossip of the day, young fillies and colts running around and playing; it all brought a smile to Doris's face as she walked down the street. Lyra waved at her as she walked by - surprisingly not gushing over her - but aside of that, there was no interaction with the townsfolk.

_Should I even call them that? Does townponies fit better with this place?_ She silently chuckled. _Look at me, wondering if I should use this world's vocabulary with my own._

She stopped right outside Sugar Cube Corner. The door opened as she reached up to it, and Pinkie Pie burst out of the doorway, slamming into Doris and knocking her to the ground.

"Ouch! Pinkie, what the heck are you doing?"

"I knew you were coming, so I wanted to surprise you at the door," Pinkie said, a huge smile on her face.

"You what? How'd you know I was - "

"Pinkie Sense."

Doris stared at the pink pony for a moment. "What?"

"Pinkie Sense. It's when I get little twitches and aches in my body that tell me when something's about to happen. Like when my tail starts twitching, it means something's about to fall; when I get an ear flop, eye flutter, and knee twitch, that means the sky's going to be graced by a beautiful rainbow; when I get an ear flop, knee twitch, and eye flutter, that means to watch out for opening doors; when my back gets itchy, that means it's my lucky day; when my shoulder gets achy, that means my pet alligator's in the bathtub; when my tongue goes numb, that means I'm about to have a visitor; and when my whole body starts to shake, that means a doozy is about to happen."

Doris just stared at Pinkie Pie, wide-eyed, trying to make sense of what the pink pony just said. "What?"

"Pinkie Sense. It's when - "

"I heard you the first time, Pinkie, you don't have to explain it again," Doris quickly said. "I'm just trying to make sense of it all, and I can't."

"Well, silly, that's because there's some things you just can't explain."

Doris held the sides of her head, still trying to make sense of it all.

_Maybe she's right; I just have to accept it._ She sighed, defeated. "Yeah. You're right."

"Anyway, enough about that. Wanna help me make some cupcakes?"

"Uh, sure I guess. This isn't going to involve anything...bad, is it?"

"No, silly filly. Whatever gave you that idea?"

"I don't know, I guess all your talk about Pinkie Sense got my imagination running into overdrive or something. Sure, I'll lend a hand - as long as I get to eat a cupcake, I'm kind of hungry." She followed Pinkie into the kitchen. "So, what do we do?"

"You mean you don't know?" Pinkie asked, her eyes wide in shock.

"Sorry. I've never made cupcakes before."

"It's easy," Pinkie said. She rushed around the kitchen, taking out bowls, spoons, blenders, flour, eggs, milk, water, and pans.

_I just hope she didn't break out into random song like Lyra did._

As Pinkie did all this, she started to sing. Doris groaned and rolled her eyes.

_All you have to do is take a cup of flour! _

_Add it to the mix! _

_Now just take a little something sweet, not sour! _

_A bit of salt, just a pinch! _

_Baking these treats is such a cinch! _

_Add a teaspoon of vanilla! _

_Add a little more, and you count to four, _

_And you never get your fill of... _

_Cupcakes! So sweet and tasty! _

_Cupcakes! Don't be too hasty! _

_Cupcakes! Cupcakes, cupcakes, CUPCAKES!_

Doris rolled her eyes again. "Do you ponies always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Break out into random songs?"

"I do it all the time," Pinkie said cheerily.

_Applejack was right,_ Doris thought. _Pinkie Pie _IS_ random._ She pushed that thought aside and looked over everything that Pinkie had pulled out. "So, what exactly do we have to do? And I'd prefer a spoken explanation, please."

"It's easy-peasy," Pinkie Pie chirped. "First, we preheat the oven to 375°F/Gas Mark 5. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with 12 paper cases. Then, we cream the butter in a large bowl until it's nice and soft, like a teddy that we add the sugar and vanilla extract and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, just like a cloud."

"Okay. Then what?"

"Then we add the eggs, one at a time, beating continuously, then sift in the flour. Step Four is to divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases using a teaspoon. Then we bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes, until they're nice and springy to the touch. After that, we move the cupcakes to the rack so they can cool off, and once they're cooled we move on to the icing. For that, we place the butter in a large bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until very soft. We then add the sifted icing or confectioners sugar and a drop of milk and water until it's nice and smooth. Add your desired food coloring if using, and beat until it is all colored evenly. Don't want even a little bit to be uncolored. Now that that's done, we spread the icing over the cupcakes, add sprinkles or other stuff we want, and enjoy!"

"Sounds easy enough," Doris said. "Okay, let's begin."

###############################

The sweet scent of cupcakes had been filling the kitchen for the past two hours, ever since Doris and Pinkie began baking them. The more batches that were baked, the hungrier Doris became; just the scent of the treats was making her mouth water.

The first batches Doris made came out a little burnt - she'd let them cook a little too long. But with some help from Pinkie - and learning as she went along - she gradually got better at it. The most recent batches were perfect, and again, Doris had to fight off the urge to eat them.

"Oh my god, these things smell so delicious."

"I know. I just want to gobble them up right now!" Pinkie Pie chirped. She licked her lips.

Doris mixed up a bowl of icing and put it on the latest batch of cupcakes. It was the last batch they were making today; all that was left to do now was to clean up. The bowls, spoons, racks, and trays all needed to be washed.

Doris turned to the sink to start washing the icing bowl when she felt something grab onto her ankles. She looked down and saw two little ponies, a unicorn and a pegasus - each about the size of a labrador pup - latched onto her ankles.

"Awww, hello there." She set the bowl on the counter and knelt down next to the baby ponies. "Who are you little cuties?" The babies squeaked in delight as they latched onto her arms.

"That's Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake," Pinkie said. "The Baby Cakes."

Doris wiggled her arms out of the babies' grips and picked them up. "I don't think I've ever seen anything so adorable."

She heard a set of hooves clopping across the floor as a blue pony with dark pink hair and a mark of three cupcakes entered the kitchen. "Pound Cake, Pumpkin Cake, I've been looking for you," the pony - most likely the babies' mother - said. "I hope they didn't cause you or your friend any trouble, Pinkie."

"No trouble at all, Mrs. Cake," Pinkie Pie said.

"So, who's who?" Doris asked.

"Pound Cakes is the Pegasus, and Pumpkin Cake is the unicorn," Mrs. Cake replied.

_What I should have asked is how an Earth Pony could give birth to both a unicorn _and_ a pegasus_, Doris thought. She dismissed the thought as she put the baby ponies on the floor, but kept hold of Pound Cake for a moment longer. "I want you to do something for me, Pound Cake," she said. "I want you to always take care of your sister. Don't let anything bad happen to her, and never do anything to hurt her. Okay?" Pound Cake just cooed and smiled. "I'll take that as a yes." She put Pound Cake on the floor and patted him and his sister on their tiny heads. "Go play, babies."

The babies waddled over to Mrs. Cake. "Pinkie, we're going to the park. Can you watch over the store while we're gone?"

"You got it, Mrs. Cake," Pinkie replied.

"Thank you, Pinkie. And your friend is welcome to help you out, of course." She walked out of the room, the babies close behind.

"So cute," Doris said. "Well, I guess we'd better start cleaning up." She grabbed a rag and ran it under the faucet in the sink.

"Um, Doris, quick question," Pinkie said.

"Go ahead, Pinkie."

"Why'd you say that to Pound Cake? Did something bad happen with you and your brother before you came to Equestria?"

Doris stopped wiping the counter. She had hoped to avoid this subject - the memories were just too horrible - but by saying those things to the babies, she realized that she had just opened up a can of worms, and there was no way to close it until she told Pinkie Pie everything. Even though she didn't want to, even though she didn't want to relive the moment she severed all ties with her brother, she knew that she had to - Pinkie would no doubt keep badgering her about it.

"You could say that," she said. "Before my world went to hell, I lived with my mother, father, two brothers and sister. We were happy. Sure, my father worked a dead end job and my mother was just a housewife, but we didn't let that stop us from being happy just being together and spending time as a family. But that was, before. Before the merger. Before the One World Nation was formed. All of-age men were drafted into the military, practically against their will. Just like my brother was. My father was too old, my other brother was too young, and they weren't drafting girls. I watched as my brother was dragged off, and the next time I saw him, he was wearing an Army uniform. He was in the squad that took my parent, my sister, other brother, and me. I don't know why they didn't line me up too, but I was pulled aside and forced to watch as my brother killed my parents and my other brother and sister - put a bullet in their heads one at a time. He didn't protest, he didn't say no, he just pulled the trigger, and all I could do was watch." She clenched her fists. "The boy I knew as my brother died that day too. And if I ever see him again, I'll kill him with my own hands. He killed our family; I can never forgive that."

Pinkie stood where she was, her eyes wide. She hadn't known Doris for very long - just barely twenty-four hours - but she thought Doris was very lighthearted and cheerful; but this...She never expected such a tragic backstory. Her whole family, dead by her brother's hands. She felt her poofy pink hair begin to straighten as her own mood darkened.

"Wow. I...I'm sorry. I didn't - "

"It's okay, Pinkie Pie," Doris said. "You don't have to apologize for what my brother did. But I promise you, if I ever see him again, I _will_ make him pay." She clenched her fist again. _Colin, for what you did that day, I will _never_ forgive you_.

############################

Sergeant Colin Lawrence stood in the guard tower overlooking the city, a city that at one time was populated with over a hundred thousand residents; but that number was now down to just barely fifty, either loyalists to the One World Nation or the scientists for Alten Labs. He'd been standing in this tower on guard duty for the past forty-five minutes, along with Private First Class Deon Stine. Forty-five minutes out of a two hour guard shift, after which it would change to whoever was next on the roster - Colin didn't know who they were.

All Colin could think about was Doris. He remembered the look of shock on her face when he pulled the trigger, killed their family. It was a face that had stuck with him for the past five years, a face he couldn't get out of his mind. It was eating at him inside, as much as the memory of the deed - he felt sick after he killed his father and mother and younger brother and sister, and felt just as sick every time he thought about it. But why hadn't Doris been in the execution line? Did it have something to do with her friend Isaac? He didn't know, and he'd spent the past five years trying to figure it out - and hoping he'd find her, just so he could apologize to his younger sister.

"So, Sergeant, where do you think they are?" Private Stine asked.

"Where who are?"

"The kids who escaped a few years back. Haven't seen or heard from them in - what's it been now? - five years. You'd think after this long someone would have found them or at least spotted them or something."

"I couldn't tell you, Deon," Colin said. "But wherever they are, I hope they're okay."

"Um, are you okay Sergeant?"

"I'm fine, Deon. Why do you ask?"

"It's just that, I don't think I've ever heard you talk like that before."

"Well, you gotta remember, those kids who escaped were my sister and her friend. So of course I'm going to be worried about them. Especially after what happened."

"Oh. The thing you never talk about. I guess I don't blame you; I'd probably be feeling the same way if I were in your position."

"Deon, do you think we're doing the right thing?"

"Of course we are. We got here on time."

"That's not what I meant," Colin said, his voice getting more and more stern. He waved a hand towards the city. "Look out there and tell me if we're doing the right thing. The only people left alive are in the military, loyalists, or scientists for Alten Labs. That's less than one billion people - barely a sixth of the world's original population of six and a half billion. Everyone who isn't military, loyalist, or scientist is dead. Dead because of us - our government, our military. I can't be the only one who feels guilty for what I've done."

"Whoa, Sergeant, if the higher-ups hear you talking like that, they'll kill you just as they killed Specialist Wayne."

"I'm not planning treason, I'm just saying that this doesn't feel right. Not at all."

"Either way, Sergeant, I think you'd better keep that to yourself, just to be safe. I sure as hell don't want to see you lined up before a firing squad like a lot of people or like Wayne and thrown into a vat of acid."

Colin sighed and ran a hand over his face. He'd been holding those thoughts in for so long; it felt good to get all that off his chest.

The rest of their guard shift passed in silence. They watched the city below, waved at some scientists, and continuously checked the time. After another twenty minutes, their relief showed up - Corporal Hale and Specialist Lee.

"Have fun, guys," Colin said as he and Deon descended from the tower. He checked his watch. It was ten at night. He stretched and yawned. "Hey, Deon. Don't forget about our excursion tomorrow."

"Excursion? Sergeant, we're just going into town to do some shopping."

"I'm reminding you anyway," Colin said. "I'll see you at 0900."

Colin walked across the base to his barracks. He removed his armor and tossed it on the floor before laying down on his bed. He just lay there, staring at the cieling, as those thoughts came back to him.

_Why am I doing this? I know I was forced to do it, but why? And if I ever run into Doris again, how am I going to convince her that I didn't want to do it, that I didn't want any of this?_ He got up and walked into the bathroom. He stared at the mirror, stared at his reflection.

_In this farewell  
There's no blood  
There's no alibi  
'Cause I've drawn regret  
From the truth  
Of a thousand lies_

So let mercy come  
And wash away

What I've done  
I'll face myself  
To cross out what I've become  
Erase myself  
And let go of what I've done

Put to rest  
What you thought of me  
While I clean this slate  
With the hands  
Of uncertainty

So let mercy come  
And wash away

What I've done  
I'll face myself  
To cross out what I've become  
Erase myself  
And let go of what I've done

For what I've done  
I start again  
And whatever pain may come  
Today this ends  
I'm forgiving what I've done

I'll face myself  
To cross out what I've become  
Erase myself  
And let go of what I've done

What I've done  
Forgiving what I've done

He turned on the sink and splashed some water on his face before walking back to the main living area and looking out the window. _Doris, I know you're out there somewhere. I just hope you're safe. And I know you'll never forgive me for what I did, but if it helps, I truly am sorry. Just give me a sign that you're alright, you and Isaac.  
_


	12. Crusading for a Dragon Ball

CRUSADING FOR A DRAGON BALL

APPLE BLOOM PACED BACK AND FORTH IN THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS' clubhouse. She'd been racking her brain for nearly two hours trying to think of a way for her and the other two Crusaders to get their Cutie Marks. Zip lining never worked - they always ended up covered in tree sap and pine needles - and after the incident last Hearts and Hooves Day, they weren't getting their Love Matching Cutie Marks. Then there was the time they were writing for the Foal Free Press - the school newspaper - but the gossip they were spreading was angering everyone in town. And during the school talent show last year, they learned that Scootaloo could barely sing, Apple Bloom wasn't as good at dancing as she was at karate, and Sweetie Bell wasn't as good a fashionista as her sister.

She stopped pacing as Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo walked up the ramp. "I've got it!"

"You got what?" Scootaloo asked.

"We can look around town for a Dragon Ball!"

"You mean those stones the humans are looking for?" Scootaloo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"But Rarity said that it's dangerous to look for them," Sweetie Bell said.

"I was told the same thing, but only for the Everfree Forest," Apple Bloom replied. "Think about it - we find the last five Dragon Balls Isaac and Doris are looking for, saving them the trouble and getting our Dragon Ball Finder Cutie Marks!"

"And just what the hay would _that_ look like?" Scootaloo asked. "A Dragon Ball?"

"Probably."

"But where should we start?" Sweetie Bell asked. "If there was a Dragon Ball around Ponyville, you'd think somepony would have said something about it."

"You saw the Dragon Balls last night Sweetie Bell," Apple Bloom replied. "Saw how pretty they were. If somepony found one, they'd keep it for themselves, or probably sell it."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Sweetie Bell said. "Rarity _did_ say that they looked like they'd be worth a few shiny bits."

"Unless," Scootaloo said, "the Dragon Ball was in a place nopony would think to look."

"Like where?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Ponyville River, for starters," Scootaloo replied. "There's probably one wedged under a rock at the bottom of the river."

"Maybe, but there's a lot of places in the river to check," Sweetie Bell said. "The bridge in the park, Fluttershy's cottage, the water hole on the south side of Ponyville, behind the school, and the river goes all the way into the Everfree Forest. There's too many places to look. And you know how our sisters feel about us going into the forest."

"Then we won't go into the forest," Scootaloo said. "Simple as that."

"So we're gonna check the river flowing through town?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Sure. If we don't find it there, we'll look somewhere else," Scootaloo replied.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going," Apple Bloom said.

The three fillies raised their hooves and brought them together. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADER DRAGON BALL HUNTERS! YAY!"

################################

Isaac fiddled with the Dragon Balls in his pockets as he walked down the street. That little study session with Twilight told him a lot about the stones - their history, how they worked, and even some of the wishes that had been made on them. He learned that the Dragon Balls had been created over two thousand years ago by the "Guardian of the Earth" and filled them with a magic energy that called forth the Eternal Dragon to grant wishes. And most of the wishes made on the Dragon Balls included, as he saw earlier in the book, bringing the dead back to life, creating and destroying entire worlds, making people immortal, making people rich...As far as he could tell, the possibilities were endless.

He was walking through the park, past a fountain, when he heard Apple Bloom's voice.

"Okay, we'll check this place, then go check the river at Fluttershy's cottage."

He spotted Apple Bloom and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders on a nearby footbridge, dressed, in swimming gear - googles, snorkels, and flippers. They looked like they were about to dive off the bridge.

"Let's jump on three. One. Two."

"Hey, kids!" He jogged over to the bridge. "What's with the scuba gear?"

"Oh, hi Isaac," Apple Bloom said. "We're just searching the river for a Dragon Ball."

"And what makes you think it's in a river?"

"Because otherwise, somepony would have said something about it," Scootaloo said. "Now step aside, Two-Legs. We got some Dragon Ball hunting to do." She lowered her goggles, put the tip of the snorkel in her mouth, and jumped off the bridge into the river. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell followed a second later.

Isaac watched them search the bottom of the river, moving rocks around with their front hooves, kicking up sand and coming up for air every once in a while. They'd only stay at the surface long enough to take a deep breath before diving again.

After about fifteen minutes, they came up and crawled onto the riverbank, taking off their goggles and spitting out their snorkels.

"No luck there," Apple Bloom said. "Guess we'd better head over to Fluttershy's."

"Don't you think you're going about this the wrong way, kids?" Isaac asked.

"What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked.

"I was watching you look in the river," Isaac said. "You were kicking up so much silt it's a wonder you didn't bump into each other. So maybe, instead of looking in the same place at once, why don't you split up? Cover more ground that way. How many other places are you going to check?"

"Well, there's the stream at Fluttershy's cottage and the water hole on the south side of town. Oh, and behind the school," Sweetie Bell replied.

"Well, maybe it would be easier if one of you looked around at Fluttershy's, one of you at the water hole, and the other behind the school," Isaac suggested. "If you'd like, I could help one of you look."

"Cool," Scootaloo said, leaping into the air and fluttering her tiny wings. "I'll go check the water hole. You come with, Isaac."

"Okay, but which of us is gonna get the school and Fluttershy's?" Apple Bloom asked.

"How are we going to figure this out?" Sweetie Bell asked.

"I'd suggest playing Rock-Paper-Scissors, but you don't have fingers," Isaac said. The Crusaders stared at him, confused looks on their faces. "Um, okay. How about this: Scootaloo and I will search the water hole, Sweetie Bell will check the school, and Apple Bloom will go visit Fluttershy's, and we'll meet up again in an hour and a half. You know any good places to meet?"

"The Crusaders' Clubhouse," Apple Bloom replied. "See y'all there."

###############################

Isaac took off his jacket and kicked off his shoes as he and Scootaloo neared the edge of the lake. They had agreed that Isaac would take a look around first, see if there was any sign of a Dragon Ball at the bottom of the lake, then it would be Scootaloo's turn - with Isaac supervising. He insisted on keeping an eye on the young pegasus; he knew Rainbow Dash would kill him if anything happened to Scootaloo.

"I'll be back up in a moment," he said. "Keep an eye on my jacket; the Dragon Balls are in there." He waded into the lake until the water was up to his waist. "I'll be up in a moment, and then it'll be your turn."

"You got it," Scootaloo said.

Isaac took a deep breath, and then submerged himself under the water.

The water was crystal clear, so clear that he could see everything - save for the gleam of a Dragon Ball. He dove towards the bottom of the lake and started moving some rocks around, kicking up silt and sand as he pushed them out of the way. He waited a few seconds for the silt to settle before he continued.

_Hold on. Is that a Dragon Ball? Oh, wait, it's just a normal stone._

He felt his lungs beginning to burn; he was running out of air. He made his way to the surface, taking a deep breath as soon as his head was out of the water.

"Any luck, Two-Legs?" Scootaloo asked.

"Not this time," Isaac replied as he treaded water. He watched Scootaloo paddle her way over to him. "Okay, your turn. But don't stay down there too long and come up the second you think you're running out of air. I'll be up here if you need me, and I'll come get you if it looks like you're in trouble."

"And what should I do if I find a Dragon Ball? I can't exactly hold it with my hooves, you know, and my wings are too small."

"If you find a Dragon Ball, just come up and tell me where it is. I'll go get it."

"You got it." She dove under the water. Isaac watched her dive to the bottom of the lake, watched as she used her front hooves to push some rocks out of the way. She disappeared into the silt. as she moved more and more rocks around.

"Scootaloo?" Isaac called out, even though he knew the young filly wouldn't hear him. "Scoots?" He was starting to worry. "Oh, shit, something bad's happened, I just know it." He dove under the water.

He swam for the bottom of the lake and used his hand to wave some silt out of the way. _I hope that kid's okay. Rainbow Dash will have a cow if I let anything happen to her._

Isaac cleared away enough silt to make out Scootaloo's outline; her dark orange fur made her camouflaged in the mess. He saw her trying to pull something out from under a large rock.

_She found something?_

Isaac tapped Scootaloo on the shoulder and pointed to the surface. They swam to the top of the lake and caught their breath as their heads broke the surface. "What were you pulling at down there, Scoots?"

"I think I found a Dragon Ball," Scootaloo replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Well, it was round, it was yellow, and it had stars on it."

"Yup, sounds like a Dragon Ball," Isaac said. "Okay, go back to shore and keep an eye on my Dragon Balls. I'll be back in a second, as soon as I get that stone." He dove back under the water as Scootaloo started paddling back to shore.

Isaac swam to the bottom of the lake and made his way over to the rocks Scootaloo had found the Dragon Ball. He lifted the rocks off of the Dragon Ball and picked it up. It was a Dragon Ball, alright, its surface adorned with five orange stars.

_Gotcha. Might have to pay Scootaloo with some ice cream or something later on._

He swam to the surface, holding the Dragon Ball above his head. "Got it!" He swam towards shore, climbing to his feet as he neared the shallow end of the lake. He shook himself dry before making his way over to his jacket and his shoes. "This one makes three." He put on his shoes and jacket, stuffing the Dragon Ball into his pocket as soon as the jacket was on. "I couldn't have found it without you, Scootaloo. Thanks."

"Sure thing, Two-Legs," Scootaloo said, a huge grin spread across her tiny face. "You think Rainbow Dash will be proud of me for finding a Dragon Ball?"

"I'm sure she will, kid," Isaac said. "Now, let's go meet the others and get dried off. And then maybe we'll go out for ice cream."

"Sounds good to me!"

#####################################

"No luck at the school," Sweetie Bell said as she and Apple Bloom climbed the ramp to the clubhouse.

"And there ain't a thing at Fluttershy's either," Apple Bloom said. "Ya think Isaac and Scootaloo are havin' any better luck?"

"We won't know until they come back," Sweetie Bell replied. She pushed the door open, only to find Isaac and Scootaloo already in the clubhouse, water dripping off of both of them. Isaac's shirt and jacket were hung up, slowly drying in the fresh summer air.

"We were wondering when you two were gonna come back," Scootaloo said, a hint of triumphant cockiness in her voice.

"So, you two have any luck at the lake?" Apple Bloom asked.

Isaac walked over to his hanging jacket and took the new Dragon Ball out of the pocket. "Yeah. Found the Five-Star Ball at the bottom of the lake."

"Neat-o!" Apple Bloom cheered. "How many does that make now?"

"Three out of seven. We just have four more to find."

"Three out of seven; you've got about half of them," Sweetie Bell said. She turned to Apple Bloom. "Right?"

"Why're ya asking me?" Apple Bloom asked. "I ain't no calculator. Whatever that is."

Isaac checked his shirt and jacket. "Yeah, they're dry enough." He put on his shirt, then swung his jacket on over his shoulders. "So, who wants ice cream? I'll buy."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders let out a loud cheer as they galloped down the ramp, Isaac close behind. As he neared the bottom of the ramp, he noticed - or rather, felt - something he thought he never would again - a smile.


	13. Heart of a Prince

HEART OF A PRINCE

FIVE YEARS. THAT WAS HOW LONG VEGETA AND KAKAROT HAD BEEN ON the run, using the portable transporter they had taken from one of those scientists to travel from place to place - different worlds. Well, actually, this was the first different world they had ended up in; every other time it was just a different part of their world. Five years they'd been traveling, running from the soldiers and scientists - something Vegeta absolutely detested. Running was for cowards, and Vegeta was no coward; he was the Prince of Saiyans, the most powerful warrior in the universe. He never ran.

He was growing more and more angry by the day, not only because he was running like a coward - especially running with Kakarot - but those bastards had wronged him, and Kakarot too. Gohan, Goten, Trunks - both their families had been killed, discected by the scientists. A long time ago, Vegeta wouldn't have cared, but having lived on Earth for so long, and having grown accustomed to the planet - not to mention starting his own family - had changed him, softened him somewhat. He was still a viscious warrior at heart, and the first chance he got, he was going to kill those scientists, tear them apart with his own two hands.

Being a Saiyan, let alone the Prince of Saiyans, he was born for combat. From the first moment he learned to walk, he was trained to fight. He endured the hardest, most grueling training in the universe, taught to use his body as a weapon. Every opponent he was put up against, he either left a broken and bloody mess or killed. It didn't matter who they were - Saiyans, Saibamen; the result was the same. They were lucky if he annihalated them; the worst thing Vegeta could have done to them was leave them a broken mess, only for them to bleed out a few hours later - if the shock of all the broken bones didn't kill them first.

Thinking back on his training made Vegeta realize that he was one of the only two Saiyans still left alive after Frieza destroyed their home planet; it was just him and Kakarot, who had been raised as an Earthling named Goku. Kakarot's father, Bardock, had been killed, along with the rest of the Saiyan race - including Vegeta's family - when Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta, and his brother, Raditz, was off on another planet at the time. Raditz tried to convince Kakarot to join him and do as he was originally meant to when he was sent to Earth - destroy the world's population and sell it for profit - but Kakarot, and a Namekian named Piccolo - who had also been killed by the scientists - killed Raditz.

Vegeta came to Earth a year later, along with his partner Nappa. Their goal was to find the Dragon Balls and wish for immortality, but due to Nappa inadvertedly killing Piccolo, the Dragon Balls were rendered inert and unusable. And even though it was out of rage, Vegeta remembered the ecstatic feeling he had when he put Nappa down, killing him for his incompetence.

It was time for his fight with Kakarot - a low-level warrior raised on a backwater planet against the Prince of Saiyans, the most elite of the elites, veteran of thousands of battles and the destroyer of hundreds of planets. Their battle was fierce, with both of them on seemingly equal terms - until, out of desperation, Vegeta transformed into the Oozaru, a Saiyan's true form - a large, powerful, ape-like creature. The Oozaru left Kakarot's body broken; every bone in his body had been shattered and he was just barely able to speak. Vegeta would have won - had Kakarot's friends not come to help him and cut off his tail.

That was one of the most humiliating moments in Vegeta's life; not only had he been beaten by a low-level wretch, but also by his half-breed son, a four foot tall bald man, and an obese samurai with a sword. Vegeta barely escaped with his life, but only because Kakarot wanted a future rematch.

It was while he was recovering on one of Frieza's stations that he learned of another set of Dragon Balls on Namek, Piccolo's home world. He also learned that Frieza himself was on his way to Namek, with the intent of having the Dragon Balls grant his wish for immortality. As soon as Vegeta's recovery was complete, he took a shuttle and followed Frieza and his army to Namek, making short work of some of Frieza's strongest minions upon arrival. Kakraot's son and bald friend were also on Namek, and a short while later, after Vegeta had stolen the Dragon Balls from Frieza, Frieza's personal five-man army - the Ginyu Force - arrived.

Captain Ginyu took the Dragon Balls back to Frieza, leaving the rest of his men - Guldo, Recoome, Burter, and Jeice - to deal with Vegeta, Gohan, and Krillin. Vegeta made easy work of Guldo - a swift kick took off the stout alien's head - but Recoome was more of a challenge, and by the end, he had left Vegeta a broken and bloody mess, paralyzed Krillin, and broke Gohan's neck.

That was when Kakarot arrived - he had been recovering from his battle with Vegeta. He took down Recoome with a hard punch to the stomach and broke Burter's back with no trouble at all. But when he fought Ginyu...

Ginyu used his special ability to swap bodies with Kakarot, but Gohan was easily able to discern who his father really was. And as he was doing that, Vegeta killed Jeice. Vegeta was about to deliver the finishing blow to Ginyu, when Ginyu tried to swap bodies with him. Kakarot intervened, returning him and Ginyu back to normal, and tricked Ginyu into swapping bodies with a Namekian frog.

The battle had left Kakarot seriously injured, so Vegeta placed him in a healing tank. As Vegeta was resting, Gohan and Krillin - along with a young Namekian named Dende - summoned the dragon, but before Vegeta could have them wish him immortal, the stones were rendered inert, as their creator had died, and Frieza arrived. Vegeta fought with Frieza, holding his own against the tyrant, until Frieza transformed. His new form seriously injured Krillin and Gohan, and Vegeta couldn't lay a finger on him. The only one who could was Piccolo, wished back by Gohan and Krillin earlier, and who had fused with a Namekian warrior named Nail, giving him a significant power boost.

Until Frieza's next transformation, which left Piccolo barely alive. But Frieza wasn't finished transforming; he had one more form, and the ensuing battle left Vegeta barely alive.

Kakarot arrived, having been completely healed by the healing tank. Frieza, in his rage - and just to silence Vegeta, who kept talking about Super Saiyans - fired his Death Beam through Vegeta's chest, killing him.

Vegeta can only speculate as to what happened next, but when the Earth Dragon Balls were used to bring all those killed by Frieza back to life, he saw Kakarot and Frieza fighting - and Kakarot was surrounded by the telltale golden aura of a Super Saiyan.

Vegeta stopped thinking about that. Sure, he eventually managed to achieve Super Saiyan status himself, but he should have done it first - instead, he was one-upped by a low-class wretch, a clown of a Saiyan raised on a backwater planet. Granted, over time he had come to develop a grudging respect for Kakarot, but that didn't change the fact that the two of them had their differences, differences that they would most likely end up fighting over.

"Hey, Vegeta. You okay? You haven't said a word since that portal closed."

Kakarot's voice snapped Vegeta out of his reminiscing. They were still in the forest, and from the look of things, it was much later in the day - late afternoon, though it was hard to tell thanks to the trees blocking out a lot of the sunlight.

"I'm fine, Kakarot," Vegeta growled. "I was just thinking. Something you ought to try once in a while."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, dumbass, that we can't get back! You broke that device when we ended up in this stupid forest!"

"I didn't break it, Vegeta. It just turned off, and it won't turn back on again."

"And do you know what that means, Kakarot?"

"It means...It needs to take a nap?"

"It means that the device is dead, you idiot! Just like everyone else! Dead, gone, never coming back!"

"Well, we can just wish them back with the Dragon Balls."

"We can't do that without the complete set, Kakarot. We only have two Dragon Balls - the One Star Ball and the Six Star Ball. God knows where the rest are." He looked around at the forest; it was dense and dark, the tall trees blocking out the sun, and most of the trees had a very demonic look to them. There were sounds Vegeta recognized mixed in with sounds he had never heard before. "God knows where the hell _we_ are."

"Well, I'm no expert - "

"You're no expert? Stop the presses."

"But I'd say we're in the middle of a dark and creepy forest. Think there's monsters in here?"

"If there are, I'll kill them all. Just stay out of my way, clown." Vegeta started walking, pushing branches out of his face. He didn't know where he was going, but this forest had to let out somewhere.

And if he met someone with the five remaining Dragon Balls, he hoped that he would be in a good mood by then.


	14. To Canterlot

TO CANTERLOT

"THAT WAS SOME DELICIOUS ICE CREAM," SWEETIE BELL SAID AS THEY LEFT the malt shop. "Thanks, Isaac."

"Sure thing," Isaac replied. "I had to do something to pay you kids back for helping me find that Dragon Ball. Wow, I can't believe we're already almost halfway there. Looks like ending up in Equestria is the best thing that's happened to Doris and I. She's going to have a cow when she hears about this third Dragon Ball." He fiddled with the Dragon Balls for about the tenth time since he and Scootaloo found the third one in the lake.

"What's that about a third Dragon Ball?"

Isaac quickly turned around. "Oh. Hi, Doris."

"You found another one, didn't you?"

"It wasn't just me," Isaac replied. "The Crusaders helped me look, and Scootaloo and I found it in the lake." He took the new Dragon Ball out of his pocket. "See?"

"And you said the kids helped you?"

Isaac was about to respond, but didn't get a chance - the three young fillies all spoke up, yelling their catch phrase at the top of their lungs.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER DRAGON BALL HUNTERS! YAY!"

"Cutie Mark Crusaders? More like Cutie Mark Crybabies, Blank Flanks."

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo hid behind Isaac and Doris as two more fillies walked by - one was a bright pink in color and wore a silver tiara on her head; the same tiara was also her Cutie Mark. The other was a megallic gray with a pair of small-rimmed glasses and a silver spoon for a Cutie Mark.

"What's the matter, kids?" Doris asked the Crusaders.

"Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara," Sweetie Bell replied. "They're always picking on us because we don't have our Cutie Marks yet."

_I can certainly see where they got their names,_ Isaac thought.

"Is this your new plan to get your Cutie Marks?" Diamond Tiara asked with an air of snootiness. "Spending your days with these hairless apes? Maybe you'll get an Exotic Creature Cutie Mark." She giggled. "Blank Flanks," she added, Silver Spoon joining in.

"Oh, I see what's going on here," Isaac said. "They don't have their Cutie Marks yet, so you think you can go ahead and ridicule them, is that it?"

"Well, without their Cutie Marks, they're like, so not cool," Silver Spoon said.

"Besides, we don't need to be lectured by you, freak," Diamond Tiara added with a sneer.

"Where I come from, you'd be the freaks; talking ponies aren't exactly a common thing in my world. But your kind are."

"What do you mean, their kind?" Apple Bloom asked. "You just said - "

"I know your type all too well," Isaac continued, ignoring Apple Bloom. "Bullies. You pick on those who are slightly different than your or smaller than you because it makes you feel big and makes you feel better about yourselves. I should know; I've dealt with people like that since I was the same age as the Crusaders. But you have no good reason to be heckling them, do you? No, you only do it because you have your Cutie Marks and they don't. You're treating them like a freak of nature, when really, the lack of a Cutie Mark means that they're full of all sorts of potential. Unlike you two."

Diamond Tiara was visibly shaken by Isaac's words. "You - just wait until my daddy hears about this, you hairless monkey."

"He'll probably tell you the same thing," Isaac replied. "But that's just like your type; when you're the one on the recieving end, you run to your mom and dad crying, not realizing that this is how you make Apple Bloom and her friends feel every day. You know, it's taking every ounce of willpower I have not to kick you over the nearest house. So I suggest you get out of here and leave the Cutie Mark Crusaders alone. Now."

Diamond Tiara looked like she was about to cry. She quickly blinked away her tears and turned to Silver Spoon. "Come on, Silver Spoon. We've got better things to do than listen to this hairless baboon."

The Crusaders waited until Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara had left before coming out from behind Isaac and Doris. "Wow, Isaac. You were great, dealing with them," Scootaloo said.

"I learned a long time ago, the trick is to avoid getting voilent," Isaac replied. "Trust me, your words can hurt them a lot more than a punch." He reached down and patted her on the head. "I want you three to remember that. Okay?"

Apple Bloom saluted. "You got it, Isaac."

Sweetie Bell nodded. "Will do."

Doris glanced up at the sky. "Sun's starting to set. I think it's time we got you kids home."

Scootaloo's wings started fluttering with excitement. "Oh boy! I bet Rainbow Dash is going to be so proud of me for finding that Dragon Ball earlier."

"She's been going on about that ever since we found the damn thing," Isaac said to Doris. "I think she's a big fan of Rainbow Dash."

"What gave you the first clue, Poindexter?"

For a moment, neither of them said anything. And then they started laughing, the first laugh they'd shared together in over five years.

##############################

"So I dove in after that fish, but it was just a tad bit too slippery."

Apple Bloom had been telling them about her search for the Dragon Ball ever since they took Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo home. That was fifteen minutes ago; Isaac was surprised she was still talking - at her age, Apple Bloom should be getting ready to go to sleep.

_She's probably still so full of energy. Kids._

"I'm just glad that I didn't mess up the area around Fluttershy's cottage _too_ bad," Apple Bloom said, sounding rather embarrassed. "But I helped her clean up afterwards. Then I bumped into Sweetie Bell who had zero luck at the school, and we made our way back to the clubhouse, where you and Scootaloo were waiting, Isaac."

"Wish I would have been there to see it," Doris said. "I'll bet you gave that fish what for, didn't you, Bloomer?"

"Ya know it!" Apple Bloom replied, a huge grin spreading across her face. "I'll bet Applejack will be so proud...of..." Her voice trailed off as they neared the orchard.

Isaac and Doris followed her gaze. Sitting atop a small hill, underneath a tall apple tree, was Applejack, her eyes fixated on a pair of gravestones. The three of them slowly made their way over to her, careful not to disturb her. When they were close enough, Isaac could finally make out some words carved into the stones - Apple Cider and Apple Juice.

_I wonder if those were her mother and father?_

"Applejack? Are you okay?"

"Huh?" She shook her head and wiped her eyes, clearly trying to hide her tears. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't any y'all worry none."

"You miss them, don't you?" Doris asked. "Your mom and dad?"

Applejack turned her attention back to the two gravestones. "You got me. It's been seven years since they were killed in that accident. I'd do anything to have them back."

"Me too," Apple Bloom said. She sat down next to her older sister. "If only to see them outside of pictures."

Applejack pulled her little sister closer to her. "I hear ya, Bloomer. I bet they'd be really proud of you and the other Crusaders."

Isaac and Doris sat down next to the two ponies. Doris put her hands together in prayer, while Isaac just stared at the gravestones.

"I'm sure they're still watching you, somewhere," Isaac said. "I remember that my father would always tell me that even after he died, he'd be with me in spirit. I think about him all the time."

"I know what you mean," Doris said. "I'm always thinking about my family too."

Apple Bloom felt a raindrop hit her head. "I think it's starting to rain."

"Yeah. We'd better head inside and call it a night," Applejack said.

The four of them made their way to the farmhouse, Applejack turning around to take one last look at the gravestones befre heading inside.

##########################

Isaac stood at the window, watching the rain pelt the glass. The occassional flash of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the pegasi that were maneuvering the clouds into position, or jumping on the clouds to trigger the lightning strikes. The boom of thunder followed seconds later.

Normally, Isaac would go outside in weather like this and just stand under the rain; to him, it felt like his body and soul were being cleansed. But not tonight. The past two days here in Equestria had been some of the best he'd ever had; besides the fact that he and Doris had now found two more Dragon Balls, he'd also found himself smiling and laughing for the first time in God knew how long.

He listened to the sound of the rain hitting the roof of the farmhouse. For once, it felt good to be in an actual shelter rather than a makeshift shack. But he found his thoughts drifting back to his world. He and Doris had grown so accustomed to Equestria in the past two days, if only because they weren't constantly having to run and hide and pray that they made it through the day; making things right in their world would mean having to leave Equestria - someday, somehow - so they could use the Dragon Balls to make their wish.

_I shouldn't be thinking about this right now, but I can't help it._ He turned his attention back to the darkened sky. _What are we going to do once we find the last four Dragon Balls? Would that mean having to say goodbye to our new pony friends?_

And then he found himself doing something he never thought he would.

He started to sing.

_Dead star shine, light up the sky  
I'm all out of breath, my walls are closing in  
Days go by, give me a sign  
Come back to the end, the shepherd of the damned_

I can feel you falling away  
No longer the lost, no longer the same  
And I can see you starting to break  
I'll keep you alive if you show me the way  
Forever and ever the scars will remain  
I'm falling apart, leave me here forever in the dark

Daylight dies, blackout the sky  
Does anyone care? Is anybody there?  
Take this life, empty inside  
I'm already dead, I'll rise to fall again

I can feel you falling away  
No longer the lost, no longer the same  
And I can see you starting to break  
I'll keep you alive if you show me the way  
Forever and ever the scars will remain  
I'm falling apart, leave me here forever in the dark

God, help me, I've come undone  
Out of the light of the sun  
God, help me, I've come undone  
Out of the light of the sun

I can feel you falling away  
No longer the lost, no longer the same  
And I can see you starting to break  
I'll keep you alive if you show me the way  
Forever and ever the scars will remain

Give me a sign  
There's something buried in the words  
Give me a sign  
Your tears are adding to the flood

Just give me a sign  
There's something buried in the words  
Give me a sign  
Your tears are adding to the flood

Just give me a sign  
There's something buried in the words  
Give me a sign  
Your tears are adding to the flood

Forever and ever the scars will remain

Isaac stood by the window, staring out into the night.

##################################

The sweet scent of morning dew met Twilight as she went around the library, opening the windows and letting some fresh air into the hollowed out tree. The rainstorm last night was a welcome relief from the warm and rather dry days Ponyville had been having for the past week, and Twilight liked the scent that filled the air afterwards. The air smelled clean, pured of all imperfections.

She made her way upstairs to finish opening the windows - and to wake up Spike. She shook the young dragon's shoulders. "Wake up, Spike."

Spike's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Mommy?" He blinked, trying to clear his vision as Twilight opened the last window. "You're not Mommy."

Twilight chuckled. "Come on, sleepy head." She used her unicorn magic to lift Spike out of his basket. "So, I was thinking last night - "

"You were thinking at night? The only thing I do at night is sleep."

"And snore. But that's not the point. I was thinking - we found a Dragon Ball in the Everfree Forest, so maybe there's one somewhere in Ponyville, and then maybe when we get done looking around town, we could head up to Canterlot and look for one. Besides, I really want Princess Celestia to meet Isaac and Doris. I think she'll like them."

"And how about all the other Canterlot elite? You know how they feel about Ponyville. And did you see the looks some of them were giving Cloud and the other humans? At least this time they don't have to worry about a giant alien stepping on them."

"I assume you mean the Decepticons."

"Of course. Why would I say that about the Autobots?"

Twilight didn't answer; instead, she started making her way downstairs. "I'm going over to Sweet Apple Acres; Isaac and Doris are probably still over there. Could you do me a favor and send the princess a letter asking if it's alright if she meets with the humans later?"

"Will do, Twilight."

"Thanks, Spike. I'll see you later."

##################################

Applejack was coming up the stairs from the apple cellar as Twilight walked past. "Morning, Twi."

"Oh, hi Applejack. Are Isaac and Doris around?"

"Do owls eat mice?" Applejack asked with a chuckle. Twilight glared at her, the lavender unicorn looking like she was about to murder the earth pony. "Sorry. Forgot about Owloicious. Yeah, they're around. Why, what's up?"

"Well, I was just going to ask them if - "

'HYAH!"

Twilight and Applejack galloped around to the other side of the house. Isaac was there, moving as though he were fighting some invisible enemy. Doris was nearby, just watching, as was Apple Bloom. Applejack pawed at the ground, ready to charge and help him.

"Whoa, hold on, Applejack," Doris said. "He's just practicing."

"Practicing? Practicing for what - he planning on using them fancy moves against a timber wolf?" Applejack asked.

"No, he's just practicing his karate," Apple Bloom replied. "Said he was out of practice the past couple of days. That and I kind of asked him to show me some moves."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Why did Rainbow Dash even get you into that stuff in the first place?"

Isaac did one last move - a spinning kick - before striking a pose, his fists raised and his knees bent. He wiped some sweat from his forehead and walked over to Apple Bloom.

"Now remember, Apple Bloom, that's only to be used for self defense. You can't just go around picking fights because you want to show off your skills." He ruffled her mane. "You'll never get a Karate Cutie Mark like that."

"Yeah, I know."

"Still, I can't believe that horses can learn martial arts," Isaac said. "I mean, it's clear that equines are the dominant species in this world and they operate pretty differently than the ones in our world, but still." He took a drink from a water bottle before finally noticing Twilight and Applejack standing nearby. "Oh, hey guys."

"Took ya long enough to notice us, Isaac," Applejack said. She turned to Twilight. "What was ya gonna ask them, Twi?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Almost forgot. I was wondering if you needed help finding a Dragon Ball today," Twilight said.

Isaac reached into his jacket and pulled out the Five-Star Dragon Ball. "Not around town. Scootaloo and I found this one at the bottom of the lake yesterday. This baby makes three."

"You're almost halfway there then," Twilight said.

"Yeah." He put the Dragon Ball back into his pocket. "But we still need to find four more."

"Which brings me to my next question," Twilight said. "How would the two of you like to go up to Canterlot with us today? You can meet the princess and maybe find a Dragon Ball while we're up there."

"Canterlot?" Doris repeated. "I think I've heard that word before."

"That's your capital city, isn't it?" Isaac asked. "Yeah, I think you told me about it yesterday."

"I've already got Spike sending a letter to Princess Celestia asking her if she's free to meet with you, but if not, we can still take you on the tour, show you the sights of the city."

"That sounds like fun," Doris said. "See more of this world, meet a royal figure, maybe find a Dragon Ball while we're at it."

"If we're lucky," Isaac added. "But I guess it wouldn't hurt. Okay, Twilight Sparkle, you've got yourself a deal."

Twilight clapped her front hooves together. "Great! Let's go get the other girls and we'll be on our way."

##############################

"Canterlot?!" Rarity cried. "Not in _those_ outfits. At least let me clean them up for you; it will only take a moment." Her horn started to glow as she tapped into her unicorn magic, as did their clothes. A moment later, they looked totally different - Rarity didn't give them new outfits, but the clothes they were wearing now had color to them; they were no longer dull and gray, and all the holes had been magically sewn together, leaving no evidence that they'd even been torn. "There. Much better."

"Wow. Thanks, Rarity," Doris said. "I guess there's a reason everyone goes to you for their fashion advice and such."

"Think nothing of it, dear," Rarity said. "Besides, we're going up to Canterlot. I simply could not allow the Princess or any other Canterlot elite to see you wearing such rags - no offense."

"Don't worry about it," Isaac replied. He turned to the other ponies - they'd picked up Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie on their way to Carousel Boutique to get Rarity, and Spike had joined them as well. "Anyway, are we ready?"

"I think so," Twilight said. "Um, Spike?"

Isaac looked over to Spike. He didn't look like he was paying attention to what anyone was saying; his gaze was fixated on Rarity.

Doris knelt down and waved a hand in front of Spike's face. "Spike, wake up!"

"Huh? What?" He shook his head. "Oh, sorry. I sort of...do that sometimes."

"You were just staring at Rarity the whole time," Isaac said.

"It's no secret around Ponyville that Spike has a crush on Rarity," Rainbow Dash said.

"Hold on, wait a second," isaac said. "She's a unicorn, and he's the Bubble Bopple dragon. Okay, you know what - after the argument I had with Pinkie Pie the other day, I'm not even going to question it. Let's just get to Canterlot already."

##########################

The train ride to Canterlot was not a quiet one, but Isaac expected as much, especially out of Twilight. She was telling him and Doris about everything there was to see in the city, besides the princess - the statue garden, the Canterlot library (including a wing dedicated to a unicorn named Starswirl the Bearded, whom Isaac guessed was this world's version of Merlin), Donut Joe's donut shop, the Canterlot Ballroom where a party called the Grand Galloping Gala was held every year, the Canterlot Hedgemaze (which she seemed rather reluctant to talk about, most likely due to the incident with this Discord fellow a year ago).

She wasn't the only one with stories to tell; all six of them took turns talking about the rather terrible time they had at the Grand Galloping Gala last year - Twilight wanted to spend time with Princess Celestia and tell her everything she had learned about friendship during her stay in Ponyville, but the princess was too busy greeting guests to talk; Applejack was trying to sell some Apple Family Products to earn a profit, but only had one sale, a Wonderbolt; Rainbow Dash got to hang out with the Wonderbolts, but it was so crowded and noisy in the ballroom that she couldn't speak to them; Fluttershy tried to make friends with the animals in the garden, but they all ran away from her in terror; and Pinkie Pie tried to actually party, but was shot down every time she did so.

"Sounds like this 'great party' wasn't so great," Doris said.

"Trust me, you have no idea," Rainbow Dash replied.

Isaac turned to Spike. "What about you, Spike? Didn't you enjoy yourself at the Gala?"

"Nope, because I wasn't at the Gala," Spike said. "I was up at Donut Joe's all night, and then the others joined me after the Gala turned into a disaster."

Isaac then turned his attention to Rarity. "I noticed you don't have a story about the Gala."

Rarity brushed her mane out of her face. "Please, Isaac. The less I think about Prince Blueblood, the better."

"Who?"

"He's the princess's nephew," Twilight replied.

_I'm not even going to ask,_ Isaac thought. "And let me guess," he said. "You thought he was going to be your Prince Charming, but then he turned out to be a real dick, right?"

"Well, that's not exactly how I would have worded it, but yes," Rarity said. "It wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

"The entire Gala wasn't what we had in mind," Pinkie Pie chimed in. "I mean, can you say boring? It was supposed to be the biggest party in all of Equestria, but nope, not this one."

"That bad, huh?" Doris asked. "Well, I guess I can believe that, coming from you, Pinkie. After all, aren't you the go-to pony for parties in Ponyville?"

"When it comes to parties, I'm the expert," Pinkie chirped.

The conductor's voice came from the front of the car. "Gather your belongings, everypony. We'll be arriving at Canterlot in five minutes."_  
_


	15. Discord

DISCORD

THERE WERE TALL BUILDINGS MADE OF STONE AND MARBLE; COBBLESTONE streets; outdoor cafes, a large, ornate fountain in the square; Isaac could see the palace in the distance, its many towers reaching up to the sky. The entire city had been built into the side of a mountain, and there were several rivers running through the city, each river cascading into a waterfall that in turn fed the many other rivers in Equestria. There were some parts of the city, though, that looked like they were still under construction or had been recently rebuilt.

"What happened over there?" Isaac asked, pointing to a large scaffolding next to an outdoor cafe.

"Oh, that's from when the Transformers were here," Twilight replied. "It was a pretty nasty fight. Left a lot of Canterlot in ruins. But it's still slowly rebuilding."

"Wow. It was that bad, huh?"

"Yeah, and though I'm sorry to know that the Autobots might never be coming back, at least that also means that we won't have to deal with the Decepticons anymore."

"Please, Twilight, do not mention those ruffians around me," Rarity said. "I still haven't forgiven Megatron for what he did to me."

"Who the heck is Megatron?" Doris asked.

"You're better off not knowing," Rainbow Dash said. "Trust me, that guy is _not_ cool."

"I'll take your word for it, Rainbow."

"So, what do you guys want to see first?" Twilight asked. "I think we've still got some time before we have to go meet the princess."

"You don't mind if we just wander, do you?" Isaac asked.

"Sure thing," Twilight answered. "Let's go."

###############################

They stopped at an outdoor cafe for lunch; Twilight ordered them all salads and tea.

"Just salads, huh?" Isaac asked in a joking manner.

"Well, I think you know why," Twilight said.

"Yeah. Equines don't exactly eat hamburger and bacon on a regular basis."

"That's meat, right?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Yuck. Why the heck would you even _think_ about eating meat?"

"Well, Rainbow, humans ain't exactly strictly herbivores," Applejack said. "I guess it's a good thing, though, that pony ain't on the menu."

"Change of subject," Doris quickly said, the talk of carnivores and herbivores making her feel uncomfortable around the ponies. "How's their tea?"

"Darling, it's to die for," Rarity replied. "You'll love it."

A moment later, the waiters came to their table with their plates and their drinks. "Looks pretty tasty," Isaac said. He picked up his fork and took a bite. "Wow. The lettuce has a bit of a tang to it." He picked up the cup and took a sip of tea. "Ow! Hot."

"Of course it's hot, silly filly," Pinkie said with a chuckle. "Otherwise it'd be iced tea."

Isaac took another sip of his tea, careful this time so as not to burn his mouth. He saw Doris chuckling out of the corner of his eye. "What are you laughing at?"

"Look at you, enjoying a spot of tea like some British nobleman," Doris chuckled. She then started speaking in a mock British accent. "Good afternoon, governor. May I get you some fish and chips to go along with your tea?" She, Spike, and the ponies all laughed.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up, fuzzballs," Isaac said. He took another bite of his salad. "It's my first time actually drinking tea, okay? It's a refreshing break from water, I can tell you that much."

"Water's good for you," Fluttershy said. "It's tasty, it's refreshing - "

"Yeah, and it makes you wake up five times in the middle of the night," Isaac said before Fluttershy could continue. "I don't think I have to tell you why."

"Yeah, let's not think about that," Rainbow Dash said. "Hey, you think we can catch a seat at the Wonderbolt Derby tomorrow? The race starts at three."

"I wouldn't mind seeing that," Doris said. "You're always going on about the Wonderbolts, Rainbow, so it'd be cool to finally see the ponies you're talking about."

They finished their lunch and paid the bill, joking and laughing the entire time. Just like last night, Isaac found himself wishing that he and Doris would never leave Equestria; it was moments like this, moments with their pony friends, with all of them joking and laughing, that made him feel like he'd finally found a place to call home.

###############################

The gardens were some of the lushest and greenest they'd ever seen; clearly the gardener knew what he or she was doing. Lush, beautiful flowers, perfectly trimmed hedges, wonderfully crafted statues...

"You'd never see anything like this back home," Doris said, snapping Isaac out of his daydreaming.

"Not with all that pollution you wouldn't," Isaac added.

"Feel free to take a look around," Twilight said. "This garden's open to the public, after all."

"Okay. Thanks."

Isaac wandered off towards the statues. When he was a little kid, he always wanted to see the classic stone works from days gone by, even the gothic architecture surrounding many Western European cathedrals like Notre Dame. He stopped at every statue to admire the craftsmanship - _Or should I say crafts_pony_ship? Oh, who cares?_ - and spotted several forms he recognized. He saw several ponies, one of which resembled Princess Luna in battle armor, and a few griffons.

But there was one in particular that caught his attention.

It was a creature he'd never seen before, like a mix and match of multiple creatures put together; it had the head of a horse, the long, serpentine body of a snake, the tail of a lizard, a stag's antlers, an antelope's horn, its left arm was a lion's paw, its right arm was an eagle's talons, its left leg reptilian, its right leg that of a deer, its eyes were asymmetrical, the left eye slightly larger than the right; on its back were two different wings - the wing of a bird and the wing of a bat. It had its arms out in a defense position, its body and face twisted in shock and horror as though it were trying to fend off some deadly foe.

"Well, this is a freaky looking statue," Isaac said. He put his hand on it. The stone felt smooth, almost too smooth to have been carved with a tool. "Whoever made this thing did a pretty good job." As he passed his hand over the statue's chest, he felt something, like the steady beat of a drum. Slowly, cautiously, he put his ear against the statue and listened.

_Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump._

Isaac stepped back from the statue, still trying to grasp what he had just heard. "No way. No way, that's impossible."

"You okay, Isaac?"

Isaac didn't take his attention off the statue; he just waved Doris over to him. "Doris, put your ear on that statue."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it, and tell me what you hear."

"Um, okay." She walked over to the statue. "Are you sure you're alright? You look like you've just seen a ghost or something." She put her ear against the statue. "I don't - " She stopped, and a second later, quickly stepped back from the statue. "Oh my God. That statue has a heartbeat."

"Yeah."

"But that means - "

"It means that this statue is alive!" He took his knife out of its sheath and held it up to the statue, waiting for it to spring to life.

"You don't have to worry about it attacking you."

Doris looked over her shoulder. "Twilight? Why does this statue have a heartbeat?"

"Because," Twilight said, her voice sounding very grim. "That is Discord, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony."

"Discord?" Isaac repeated. "Wait a minute, this is the guy you told me about; the guy who turned you and your friends against each other and threw Equestria into chaos."

"Exactly," Twilight said. She stepped past the two humans to stare up at the statue. "He broke free after a thousand years' imprisonment, and my friends and I put him back where he belongs. I hope he never breaks free again. If he does, we're all in trouble."

Isaac put his knife back in its sheath. "So I assume you used these Elements of Harmony to turn him to stone?" he asked.

"Yes."

"And you didn't think to grab a sledgehammer? Seriously, smash him to pieces and that would solve all future problems with this guy."

"Well, he's harmless now," Doris said.

"Yeah, I guess so," Isaac replied. "Still, just looking at this statue gives me a really bad feeling."

Twilight spit at the statue. "He can just stay like that for all I care. But I'll keep the sledgehammer idea in mind, just in case. Anyway, a royal guard found me a moment ago and said that the princess wants to mee you two. Come on; I think you'll like her." She walked out of the statue garden, Doris following close behind.

Isaac stayed where he was for a moment, staring at the Discord statue. Maybe it was just the way the statue looked, maybe it was the fact that it was alive, maybe it was Twilight's story about him; either way, he didn't like it, and he was silently praying that Discord would stay as a statue.

#########################

Darkness. That was all he had known for the past year, and before that, the past one thousand years. He absolutely hated being a statue - no freedom to move, no way of speaking, he couldn't see anything; all he could do was hear. He heard everything, from the music playing during the Grand Galloping Gala to Celestia's speech at the last Summer Sun Celebration. He heard gossip of humans in Equestria, heard the sounds of battle from those creatures called Transformers.

Heard Twilight Sparkle telling those humans about him.

Twilight Sparkle...He remembered that little unicorn. Oh, how he loved to toy with her. He mentally chuckled as he thought back to how he had utterly broken her spirit the last time he escaped this stone prison; stole the Elements of Harmony, tricked Twilight Sparkle and her pony friends into searching the Canterlot Hedgemaze - without their wings or their magic. He remembered how, one by one, he turned every pony except for Twilight into the opposite of themselves, remembered how he tricked Rainbow Dash into abandoning the ponies, thus allowing him to throw Equestira into complete chaos - something he hadn't done for over a millenium, thanks to those damned princesses.

To say that he was surprised that they managed to break the spell he'd placed over them and use the Elements of Harmony against him would be an understatement. Yes, he was surprised that they managed to get the Elements to work, especially considering the abysmal attempt at using them before they freed Rainbow Dash. But over the past twelve months, that surprise faded away, gave way to anger and hatred. He just wished that he would break free again, and then - oh, he had big plans for the Element Bearers.

He sensed something, something that felt so refreshing to the warm and fuzzy fealings of these ponies; a dark and cold heart, filled with years of envy, anger, rager, and hatred - and it was a much stronger feeling than that of the one the ponies referred to as "Megatron". This was not a hatred born from years of war, no; this was a hatred stemming from being the best, only to be shot down and never reaching the top again, despite this character's best efforts. He felt the anger, the hatred, the rage - the _chaos_ - flow into him, and it tasted delicious.

He felt his stone prison begin to crack.

It wouldn't be long now.

It wouldn't be long until Discord was free once again.


	16. Spirit of Chaos

SPIRIT OF CHAOS

"SO," SPIKE SAID. "WHAT DO YOU THINK? PRETTY COOL, RIGHT?"

Spike and the ponies led Isaac and Doris down a long hallway. Its roof towered over their heads. The floor was lined with a long, red carpet that muffled their footsteps, and the walls were adorned with several gorgeous stained-glass windows, each one telling a different story - Isaac saw a window with what he remembered were the Elements of Harmony; another window with what looked like Twilight and her friends fighting a dark blue alicorn in battle armor; another window with a menacing looking unicorn in gun-metal gray armor and several ponies (including Twilight and her friends) fighting him...So many windows, so many stories.

"It's beautiful," Doris breathed. "I've never seen anyplace like this."

"I know; neither have I," Isaac said. "My father would have loved this place. He was always going on and on about European architecture."

They appraoched a large double door, which the pegasus guards pushed open, revealing a large, ornately decorated throne room. There were two large windows on either side, one overlooking the city, the other the statue garden. The red carpet stretched into this room as well, ending at a large, golden throne surrounded by small pools of water, and standing atop the throne was a tall, beautiful horse - an alicorn, just like Luna. Her coat was pure white, even whiter than Rarity's. Sitting atop her head, just in front of her horn, was a golden crown, and she wore a golden collar around her neck. Her lovely mane and tail were made up of multiple colors - blue, torquoise, pink - and flowed as though they were in a river. On her flank was a mark of the sun, its many rays going in multiple directions.

Spike and the ponies all bowed down in front of the alicorn. "Good afternoon, Princess Celestia," Twilight said.

"Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student. A pleasure to see you again," Celestia said. She turned her attention to Isaac and Doris. "And I assume these are the humans you spoke of in your letter?"

"Um, yes, Your Majesty," Isaac said as he bowed down in front of the princess. He was so nervous he could hardly speak; he'd never met royalty before. "It - it's an honor."

"There's no need to be so nervous," Celestia said.

"I'm sorry," Isaac replied. "It's just that - this is my first time talking to a royal figure. I don't want to make a complete fool of myself."

Celestia smiled warmly. "That's alright," she said. "It's Isaac, right? Isaac Lawrence?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Celestia turned her attention to Doris. "And you must be Doris Jameson, am I right, dear?"

"That's right, Princess," Doris replied. She bowed. "It's a pleasure."

Celestia kept that warm smile, a smile similar to a loving mother when casually talking to her children. "Twilight Sparkle tells me that the three of you are searching for magical artifacts called Dragon Balls."

"Yes, we are," Isaac said. He reached into his pocket and took out the Four-Star Dragon Ball. "They look like this, each with a different number of stars from - "

"From one to seven," Celestia finished for him. She nodded. "Yes, I'm familiar with these magical items."

"You are?" Twilight asked. "How's that, Princess?"

"I've read about them, of course," Celestia replied with a chuckle. "Starswirl the Bearded wrote many scrolls about the Dragon Balls, but to be honest, until today, I had always passed them off as just mythical items."

"We have three already, Your Majesty," Doris said. "We just need to find four more."

Isaac walked over to the window overlooking the gardens. "And then we can make things right in our world. Make it look just as beautiful as this place." He glanced down to the garden, noticed something was missing. "Um, guys? Where's Discord?"

"What are you talking about?" Doris asked. "He's still there in the garden."

Isaac pointed to the spot where Discord's statue was supposed to be. "No he's not."

Doris, Spike, Celestia, and the ponies joined him at the window and looked down into the garden. The pedestal Discord's statue was standing on not twenty minutes ago was now minus a statue, and there were shards of shattered stone littering the ground.

"Oh no," Twilight gasped. "No, no, nonononono this is bad, Bad, BAD!"

The other ponies looked worried. "He's free? _AGAIN?!_" Rarity cried.

"I hope he makes it rain chocolate milk again," Pinkie Pie said. "But this time, add some whipped cream."

"Get serious, Pinke Pie," Rainbow Dash hissed. "If Discord's escaped, that means - "

"It means some very bad things are going to happen," Fluttershy squeaked as she lowered herself to the floor in fright.

"And here I thought today was going mighty swimmingly," Applejack said.

"Yeah, what a way to ruin a perfect day," Spike agreed.

"Do you have any idea where he might have gone?" Doris asked.

The ponies all looked at each other before turning their attention to Celestia. "Princess, the Elements of Harmony!" Twilight cried. "He's probably going to go after them again!"

Celestia's warm smile had faded away into a stern face filled with fierce determination. "Let's go, my little ponies."

##########################

They all ran as fast as they could to the other end of the hall. Celestia put her horn into a slot in the far wall, activating her unicorn magic. The wall slid open, splitting down the middle, to reveal a wonderfully decorated chest sitting atop a pedestal. Celestia opened it. Inside were five necklaces and a crown, each piece of jewelry studded with a stone in the same shape as the Cutie Marks of Twilight and her friends.

"Thank goodness they're still safe," Celestia breathed. She put the chest back on the pedestal and used her magic to close the wall.

"So what's he doing if he's not after the Elements of Harmony?" Spike asked.

"I'm just as lost as you are, little buddy," Isaac replied. "Twilight said that last time he got out, he stole them. So why leave them now? I guess he might have learned from last time, but it still doesn't make any sense."

A chilling, disembodied laugh echoed throughout the hall. "Make sense? Oh, come now; there's no fun in that."

"Was that him?" Isaac asked.

"Yes, that was him," Twilight replied. She took a step forward. "Come on out, Discord. We know you're there."

The disembodied laugh continued until a stained-glass Discord started moving through the windows. "It's been too long, my little ponies. Let me see now...Oh, yes. It's been almost a year, hasn't it? I keep forgetting, I've lost track of time. Time moves slower on the inside, but you wouldn't know that, would you? Do you have any idea what it's like to be a piece of rock for a year, let along _one thousand?_" His voice was getting angrier and angrier with every word he spoke. "It's _BORING!_" He stretched one of his legs. "Not to mention I've had a charlie horse since the Grand Galloping Gala."

Isaac walked up to the window and placed a closed fist against the glass. "How about you come out of there and face us, you freak. Or are you too scared after what happened last time?"

Discord disappeared in a flash of light, only to reappear in the window behind Isaac. "Oh, yes, Isaac Jameson, one of the newest human visitors to Equestria. I've heard about you and your search for the magical wishing stones known as Dragon Balls, Isaac. Or should I call you...Norion, last son of the Saiyan race?"

Isaac turned to the new window Discord was in. "Wait a second. What did you just say?"

"I know that you're looking for the Dragon Balls," Discord said. He waved an arm in Doris's direction. "You and your pretty little friend over there."

"No. After that."

"Sorry," Discord said. "Don't remember saying anything after that."

Isaac stormed over to the window and pounded his hand against it, still being careful not to break it though. "Don't toy with me, you freak. You know something about me, don't you? So tell me what you know or I'll shatter this window and you with it!"

"Okay, a couple of things here, sonny," Discord said. "First off, I can't tell you anything if I'm dead. Second, you break this window and the only thing you'll have accomplished is breaking a window. And third, back up a little bit. Your breath stinks." He warped to another window. "Okay, if you really want me to tell you what I know, then this is how it's going to work. You and I are going to play a little game."

"Don't fall for it, Isaac," Twilight said. "He'll just trick you like he tricked us."

"Ignoring the peanut gallery," Discord continued. "I'll tell you everything you want to know if, and only if, you can find me in one hour. But here's the kicker. You have to come find me alone. That way, we can talk peacefully, man to draconequus. If you have any help whatsoever, the game is over, and I win. And trust me, I've got some _big_ plans for Equestria - being locked up in stone, you've got time to think."

"So that's it, I just have to find you?" Isaac asked.

"That's right," Discord said. "And just to make things a _little_ bit easier, I'll give you one small hint: I'm somewhere in Canterlot. Can't tell you where, that's up to you to find out." A stopwatch materialized in his hand. "Let's see here. It is 1:25 in the afternoon. You have until 2:25 to find me, starting...now." He pressed the button on the top of the stopwatch, activating the hands. "Oh, and don't forget: Have fun." And with that, he disappeared.

Isaac clenched his fists. "I'm starting to hate that guy already," he hissed through clenched teeth. He started running for the door.

"Isaac! Where are you going?" Doris asked.

Isaac stopped and turned to face her. "I'm going to go find Discord. I'm wasting time standing here."

"But there's no way you'll be able to search all of Canterlot in one hour," Fluttershy said.

"It doesn't matter, Fluttershy," Isaac replied. "He knows something about me, and I have to find out what." He ran for the door again. "Don't worry; I'll be back soon."

Rainbow Dash hovered in the air. She got ready to fly for the door. "There's no way he's going after Discord alone," she said. "I'm going with him."

"No, Rainbow Dash," Doris said. "We have to let him do this by himself. You heard what Discord said. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to find out what he's been planning for this world."

"Huh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Rainbow Dash said. She lowered herself to the ground and folded her wings against her body. "Still, I wouldn't mind getting my hooves on Discord and giving him a piece of my mind."

Doris turned her attention back to the open door. _Isaac, please be careful_.

#####################################

Isaac's shoes slapped against the cobblestone streets as he ran at his top speed. He kept looking around, kept his eyes open for Discord - that draconequus, as he had called himself. He felt his chest burning and his lungs felt like they were about to burst. But he couldn't stop. He had less than fifty minutes to find Discord, and he couldn't waste any time.

_I guess Fluttershy was right; there's no way I'll be able to search this whole city in an hour_, he thought as he turned down another street, nearly running over a couple of ponies as he did. _But I have to at least try. I have to find him. He knows something about me, and I'll beat the information out of him if I have to once I find him._

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, then started running again, sprinting as fast as he could. He had no idea where he was going, only that he knew he had to find Discord. If he didn't, he wouldn't learn what Discord knew about him and, more importantly, Discord would do God knew what to Equestria. There was no way Isaac was going to let that happen, not to his pony friends. Not to this world.

He stopped in the town square and took a quick look around. All he saw were ponies, all of whom seemed oblivious to Isaac's presence.

_Where the hell is he?_ He raised his head to the sky and cried out at the top of his lungs.

"DISCORD! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?! COME OUT, YOU COWARD!"

His screaming got the attention of all the ponies in the square. They stared at him, none of them willing to approach him. He just stood there, breathing heavily, trying to regain his composure. He knew Discord was around, knew Discord was just toying with him.

Isaac walked over to the fountain and splashed some water on his face. He couldn't stay here any longer; he had to get moving. He'd already spent half an hour running throughout Canterlot; that left another thirty minutes in order to find Discord, but how was he going to travel through the city in that amount of time?

_Unless...If he's watching me, then he's probably going to be someplace high, not only to just watch me, but to also watch all of Canterlot and possibly Ponyville as well. So what if he's in the highest point in the city?_ He looked around until he spotted a tall spire off in the distance. _That tower looks like it's part of the palace. I've got to get up there; I'm sure that's where Discord is._

He started running again, making his way to the tower. He could feel the seconds tick away as he ran, each second seeming like an eternity as his feet slapped against the cobblestone street. He tried to steady his breathing as he ran, in through his nose and out through his mouth, even as he burst through the doors of the tower and made his way to the stairs, taking them three at a time. He felt himself slowing down as he climbed the tower, but he didn't stop, not until he had finally reached the top level of the tower. He stood outside the door, trying to get his breathing back under control. He wiped sweat off his forehead and out of his eyes.

_Okay, this is it,_ he thought. _If Discord's not in here, I'm screwed._ He took a deep breath. _Well, here goes_. He grabbed the handle and pushed the door open.

"There you are! And with fifteen seconds to spare. Cutting it a bit close, but still on time."

Isaac shut the door behind him as he looked at the abomination before him. It was one thing to see him as a statue, one thing to see him on a stained-glass window, but to see him in person...Isaac had no idea what to make of the creature in the room with him. For a moment, Isaac thought he was looking at a reject from the genetic experiments Alten Labs used to conduct during the first few years of the merger. A mixture of horse, deer, antelope, snake, lizard, lion, bird, bat, like bits and pieces of multiple creatures put into a blender and this creature, Discord, was the result.

"What's the matter, Isaac?" Discord asked. "Cat got your tongue?" He stuck out his tongue, with a fluffy white cat digging its claws into it.

Isaac put his initial reaction to Discord aside and charged for him. He grabbed Discord by the throat and slammed him against a wall. He took out his knife and pressed it against Discord's neck.

"Alright, I found you within the time limit, so start talking," Isaac hissed.

"Certainly," Discord said. "What do you want to talk about? Sports? Weather? What it's like to be a statue?"

Isaac tightened his grip on Discord's throat. "Don't play dumb with me, freak. You know damn well what I'm talking about."

"Well, I can't talk if you're choking me," Discord said, his voice coming out as no more than a squeak. Isaac released his grip on Discord and stepped back, raising his knife and keeping it at the ready, just to be safe. "You really want to know about who you are, Isaac Lawrence? Suit yourself. But I should warn you, you may not like what I'm about to tell you. I should warn you, for your sake, that the truth may be hard to take in."

"Then quit stalling, and this will go faster for both of us."

Discord started walking around the room, Isaac following him with his eyes, keeping his knife raised in case the draconequus tried anything. "Here's the story, kiddo. You're not exactly human, not like your friend Doris. You're one of only three pure-blood Saiyans left alive in the universe. You're probably wondering what a Saiyan is, aren't you? Well, they're from another planet. Mostly, they appear as a human being, but all Saiyans are born with the ability to transform into a large, ape-like creature called an Oozaru - so long as their tail isn't severed, like I'm sure yours was. Saiyans were bred for one thing and one thing only: Combat. You were born to fight, born to kill. Saiyans travelled to other planets, exterminating the population and then selling the planet for profit. You're a warrior, a killer, plain and simple. Of course, the Saiyan race was all but wiped out by the tyrant ruling over them a long time ago, destroyed with their entire planet."

"Give me one good reason why I should believe you, Discord."

Discord stopped walking. "You don't have to take _my_ word for it," Discord said. "Here, let me show you." He snapped his fingers.

The room began to change; the marble walls were replaced with the infinite void of space, the distance dotted with thousands of shimmering stars. In the middle distance was a large magenta planet; just above the planet was a circular spaceship - it was the only thing Isaac could compare it to. A large red ball was hovering above the spaceship, a ball that looked like it was made out of pure energy.

_Just like the ki blasts my father taught me to do_. He turned to Discord. "What is all this, Discord?" he demanded.

"Just watch," Discord said. He put a hand on Isaac's shoulder. "Maybe this will clear up a few things for you."

Isaac watched as the ball of energy flew at the planet, impacted...

And in a matter of moments, the planet was gone, destroyed in a shower of sparks, bits and pieces of the planet flying out in all directions.

Even though he was just watching some sort of astral projection, Isaac felt his heart leap into his throat. He had just watched an entire planet, along with its entire population, die right in front of him.

Isaac tried to speak, but his voice had caught in his throat. He couldn't speak, he could barely breathe.

_What he hell did I just watch?_

"Well, that explains that," Discord said. He snapped his fingers again, and the scene changed once again. This time, the scene was a lush jungle, with two humans, a man and a woman, dressed in some sort of battle armor - just for the chest, nothing for the head, arms, or legs. The woman was holding a baby, but this baby had a trait that Isaac had never seen on a human baby before - this baby had a tail.

"Isaac," Discord said. "I'd like you to meet your biological mother and father, who gave birth to you while they were on Planet Aether."

"These two are my real parents?"

Isaac watched as the woman carried the baby over to a sphere shaped pod. "What's she doing?"

"Sending you to another planet, so you could destroy its population and later on sell the planet for profit, as I said earlier," Discord replied. "I'm sure you can figure out what planet you ended up on."

"Earth."

Discord snapped his fingers again. This time, the scene was a small forest. Isaac saw the baby, now out of its pod and in the arms of a man Isaac knew all too well.

"My father."

"Your _adoptive_ father," Discord corrected him. "Gerald Lawrence found you. He tried to find your real parents, but no one was claiming you. You can guess what happened after that."

The scene slowly changed to a few years later. Isaac saw a younger version of himself, now just a toddler, laughing and playing with his father.

"So, Isaac, does this answer your questions?" Discord asked. He snapped his fingers again, and the room went back to normal. "I hope so, because I am not showing you that again."

Isaac stood where he was. He felt his breath coming in short burst - in fact, he was barely breathing at all. His heart was pounding in his chest as he remembered the image of that planet being destroyed, knowing that he was one of the only surviving members of that race, knowing that he _wasn't human_...It left him speechless, unable to breathe, unable to think.

It left him scared.

"Well, fine. Don't thank me right away," Discord said. He sighed. "Whatever. My job here is done, and I've got a few more things to do. I'll send you back to your little friends so you can tell them about the little heart-to-heart we had. See you later, kiddo." He snapped his fingers.

Isaac was barely aware of what was happening. All he knew was that he was back in the palace, back in the throne room. He was scarcely aware of his friends surrounding him, asking him questions, asking him if he was okay.

"Isaac?" Doris asked. She shook his shoulder. "Isaac, are you okay?" She shook him harder. "Isaac, talk to us."

Isaac slowly turned to Doris. "Isaac, what's the matter?" she asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"What did Discord do to you?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Just let me at him. I've been wanting to get my hooves on that creep for a while now."

Isaac didn't say anything. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"Isaac, please. Say something," Fluttershy said. "You're scaring me."

Isaac finally found his voice. "I'm not human."

"What are you talking about?" Spike asked. "You're about as human as every other human I've met."

"I was sent to Earth...to destroy it," Isaac said, his voice low. "I'm one of the last Saiyans left alive."

"Isaac, will you please start making sense?" Twilight asked.

"That must be why he was training me in karate all those years," Isaac said. "He knew who - _what_ - I am. That's why he said combat was in my blood. That's what he was trying to tell me before he died." He looked down at his hands. "Doris, I...If things had turned out differently, you and I would never be friends. Your blood would be staining my hands. If my father hadn't found me..."

Doris pulled Isaac into a light hug. "Don't talk like that, Isaac. Don't talk about what might have happened. All that matters is what _did_ happen. You're my friend, Isaac. You always will be my friend."

"And besides, you can't trust anything Discord tells you," Twilight said. "Everything he says is a lie."

Isaac gently pulled away from Doris and walked over to the window overlooking the city. He rested against the window, staring out across the city, down into the valley where Ponyville was nestled, out over the horizon as several thoughts ran through his head at once.

_Who am I? _What_ am I? I just don't know anymore. I feel like my entire being has been put into question._

_Crawling in my skin  
These wounds they will not heal  
Fear is how I fall  
Confusing what is real_

There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface  
Consuming  
Confusing  
This lack of self-control I fear is never-ending  
Controlling  
I can't seem  
To find myself again  
My walls are closing in  
Without a sense of confidence  
I'm convinced that there's just too much pressure to take  
I've felt this way before  
So insecure

Crawling in my skin  
These wounds they will not heal  
Fear is how I fall  
Confusing what is real

Discomfort endlessly has pulled itself upon me  
Distracting  
Reacting  
Against my will I stand beside my own reflection  
It's haunting  
How I can't seem  
To find myself again  
My walls are closing in  
Without a sense of confidence  
I'm convinced that there's just too much pressure to take  
I've felt this way before  
So insecure

Crawling in my skin  
These wounds they will not heal  
Fear is how I fall  
Confusing what is real

Crawling in my skin  
These wounds they will not heal  
Fear is how I fall  
Confusing, confusing what is real

There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface  
Consuming  
Confusing what is real  
This lack of self-control I fear is never-ending  
Controlling  
Confusing what is real

################################

Vegeta and Kakarot came to a fork in the path. One path led southeast, the other northwest. Vegeta thought hard, trying to decide which path he would take.

_Just as long as that path rids me of this idiot, even for a little bit._

He turned to Kakarot. "Alright, Kakarot. Use your instincts. Left, or right?"

Kakarot rubbed his chin. "I'm going to have to say..." He looked down the right path before suddently turning around. "Left."

"Good," Vegeta said. "Because _I'm_ going right." He started walking down the path.

"That's not very nice," Kakarot whined.

Vegeta looked over his shoulder at Kakarot. "You follow your instincts, idiot, and I'll follow mine." He continued walking.

"Well fine then," Kakarot said. "Have it your way." Vegeta heard him blow a raspberry at him, but didn't pay the idiot any mind.

All that mattered was that for the moment, he was free of that clown. He walked down the path, pushing tree branches out of his way as he went. After several moments, the forest finally began to thin out. He was standing at the base of a tall mountain. There was a city built into the side of the mountain.

_I'll just bet there's a Dragon Ball in that city,_ he thought. _That's fine. Once I find it, I'll destroy that city; it'll have served it's purpose._

"Hello, Prince Vegeta. Having a nice day?"

That smug voice came from behind him. Vegeta turned around, and standing before him was..._something_ he'd never seen before, some creature that looked like it came out of a genetic laboratory, a mish-mash of all sorts of creatures.

"Who - _WHAT_ the hell are you?" Vegeta hissed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you to, Prince Vegeta," the creature said. "My name is Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. You're looking for the Dragon Balls, aren't you?"

"What's it to you, freak?"

"Funny. You're not the first person I've met today who's hunting those stones. But that's not what's important to you, is it?"

"Get to the point."

Discord started walking around Vegeta, acting as though the creature was of a higher tier than Vegeta. "I konw what you really desire. You want to be the best once again, the stand above all other Saiyans - what few are left, that is. You've been second place to Goku for far too long, and it's filled your heart with rage, hatred, anger - _envy_. And you know what? I owe my escape to you, Vegeta. All the chaos you harbor deep inside you freed me from my stone prison after a year, and for that, I owe you. I can give you the power you need to defeat Goku once and for all." He put a hand on Vegeta's shoulder. "What do you say, Vegeta? Do we have a dead?"

Vegeta slapped Discord's hand away. "I don't need your help, freak. I can defeat Kakarot any time I choose. I've always been better than him, better than anyone."

A piece of paper materialized in Discord's hand. "The list says otherwise. Let's see here...When you first arrived on Earth, you were defeated by Goku, his son, a friend of his, and a fat guy with a sword. And don't even get me started on Namek - you know, where you _died_. Then there was Android Number Eighteen, Cell's Perfect Form, Majin Buu - where you died _again_. Baby, Super Android Seventeen, Omega Shenron...Sorry, Vegeta, but you and the list have differing opinions."

Vegeta fired a ki blast at the paper Discord was holding, disintegrating it. "Shut up, _shut up, SHUT UP!_" he growled. "I don't give a damn what you think; I _am_ the best, and I _can_ defeat Kakarot whenever I want! I don't need your help, so get the hell out of my way before I tear you limb from mish-mashed limb, freak!"

"Well, we wouldn't want that now, would we?" Discord asked.

Vegeta clenched his fists. He was starting to get annoyed with this creature, this Discord. He got ready to attack Discord, got ready to kill Discord, got ready to _destroy_ Discord.

There was something about Discord's eyes that kept Vegeta from doing any of that. He felt himself frozen in place, unable to tear himself away from Discord's mesmerizing gaze.

"I know what lies buried deep inside you, Vegeta," Discord said. "All that anger, that hatred, that rage, that envy, that _chaos_...Let it out, let it grow, let it consume you, and let it aid you in destroying your enemy."

Vegeta shut his eyes as tight as he could, but it was too late; he felt everything he'd had buried deep inside coming to the surface. He felt like he was about to burst, felt like he was about to transform into a Super Saiyan.

He clenched his fists so tightly his fingernails were digging into his palms, drawing blood.

"Kakarot," he hissed. "Today, I destroy you."

Discord patted Vegeta on the back. "That's the spirit! Oh, it looks like your buddy's coming."

"Kakarot is not my buddy."

"Ah, whatever. I'll be watching the show on the sidelines. Adios." He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

"Hey, Vegeta. Fancy bumping into you. I guess those paths led to the same place."

Vegeta whirled around, raising his fist and slamming it into Kakarot's face. Kakarot reeled backwards, holding his nose.

"Ouch! I've never known you to be so jumpy, Vegeta."

"I'm not jumpy," Vegeta said. "But I _am_ going to finish things between us today!"

"What the - what are you talking about? What's gotten into you, Vegeta?"

"I've been playing second fiddle to you for far too long, Kakarot. Ever since we first met, you've trumped me at every turn. You and your half-breed freak of a son defeated me on Earth, my first ever defeat in my career. It was all down hill from there. I was supposed to be the one who destroyed Frieza and avenged our people, but no, that was you, and to add insult to injury, you transformed into a Super Saiyan. It should have been me! I should have destroyed him, _I_ should have become the legend! But no, you just wouldn't let me have it, would you?! Every time I think I've caught up to and surpassed you, you pull even farther ahead! It was your half-breed son who ascended to a level higher than a Super Saiyan, and then you went even further than that! No matter what I did, you were always better than me, when I should have been the best! I'm the Prince! The Prince of all Saiyans! It should be me, not you!" He felt his anger reach his peak, felt his energy explode around him, saw the telltale golden aura of a Super Saiyan surrounding him, and he charge for Kakarot._  
_


	17. Vegeta's Wrath

VEGETA'S WRATH

GOKU BARELY MANAGED TO DODGE VEGETA'S INITIAL ATTACK, DUCKING under his punches and kicks. He blocked Vegeta's next wave of attacks, Vegeta's fists and feet being deflected off of Goku's forearms.

The two of them grappled, pushing against each other, trying to gain the upper hand. Goku had seen Vegeta fight like this before, but this seemed so random, so out of the blue. Maybe it had something to do with Vegeta's eyes now being a demonic red, or his skin tone being a much paler color than before. Either way, Goku didn't know why Vegeta was doing this; all he knew was that if he wanted to survive, if he wanted to stop Vegeta, he would have to fight him.

Goku powered up until he too had transformed into his Super Saiyan state, and the two Saiyans charged for each other, matching one another blow for blow. Their fists met, their kicks connected, the shockwaves of the impacts travelling throughout their bodies.

Vegeta caught Goku off guard; he slammed a fist into Goku's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Vegeta followed up with a knee to the stomach and a hard elbow to the back of the neck. Before Goku could recover, Vegeta hit him with a hard kick, sending him to the ground.

Goku hit the ground, hard, so hard he felt like his spine was about to shatter. He slowly stood up, only to feel the impact of Vegeta's kick hit him in the back. He landed face first on the ground and skidded for a few feet. He quickly got back to his feet and fired a ki blast at Vegeta. Vegeta deflected the blast and flew at Goku, a murderous look in his eyes.

##############################

Discord lounged on the futon he'd magically crafted. He popped a piece of popcorn into his mouth and took a drink of his soda. He'd been watching the fight since the beginning, and he was enjoying every second of it. Two men, one corrupted by Discord himself, engaged in a gruelling battle do the death. There was something so...poetic about it.

But something felt amiss. Somehow, this whole fight just felt incomplete. It couldn't have been the combatants; both Saiyans were out there, now flying high above the treetops of the Everfree Forest, close to the mountains just outside of Canterlot.

_I know what it is,_ Discord thought. _This fight just needs a bigger audience. And I know just who to invite._ He snapped his fingers and reappeared in the Canterlot throne room.

"Discord!" Celestia screamed, in both shock and anger. Doris, Spike, and the ponies all got ready to fight.

Isaac, who was standing by the far window, looked over his shoulder to Discord. His face grew angry, and he charged at the draconequus.

"You son of a bitch, I'll kill you!" He punched Discord in the face, and prepared to follow up with another punch. Discord grabbed Isaac by the throat.

"Whoa, a bit quick on the draw there, Trigger," Discord said. He tossed Isaac back.

Isaac landed hard and skidded to a stop. "Are you okay, Isaac?" Doris asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Isaac replied. He stood up and readied his knife. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, must we jump to the fighting so quick?" Discord asked. "I just came to invite you to the big fight."

"What big fight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Please tell me that it involves me tearing you apart," Isaac said, "because you have no idea how good that would feel right about now!"

"No, no, no," Discord replied. "None of us are going to be fighting. But trust me when I say that this is one fight you do _not_ want to miss. It's the fight of the century, and it's going to revolutionize sports' entertainment!" He snapped his fingers, and they were now in a completely different location.

"These are the mountains just outside of Canterlot," Twilight said. "Why'd you bring us here, Discord?"

Discord scratched his head. "Huh. I thought for sure this was the place."

Fluttershy looked around, trying to find what Discord wanted them to see, even though she knew she wouldn't like it. She spotted something off in the distance - no, not off in the distance, just just off the mountain, what looked like two humans fighting.

"Oh my," she squeaked.

"What is it, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. She followed Fluttershy's gaze. "What the heck?"

"Whoa, Nelly," Applejack breathed.

"Wow," Rainbow Dash said. "Look at them go!"

"How barbaric!" Rarity exclaimed.

"I didn't know humans could fly and glow yellow like that," Pinkie Pie said.

"This is terrible," Celestia breathed. "Why are they fighting like that?"

Isaac turned to Discord. "You had something to do with this, didn't you? This is all your fault!"

"Oh, I may have had something to do with it," Discord said as he conjured up a small glass with an umbrella straw. He took a drink from the cup and tossed it behind him. The cup exploded when it landed. "Just sit back and enjoy the show, kiddo." He pushed Isaac away from him.

Isaac walked over to Doris. "I just _know_ he's got something to do with this," he said.

"Yeah, I know," Doris replied. "Why else would those two be fighting like they're trying to kill each other?"

"Wait a moment, we can't have this," Discord said. He flew over to the two combatants, snapping his fingers and separating them.

"Hey! What the heck's going on here?" one of the combatants asked.

"Get the hell out of my way, freak!" the other one screamed.

"In a moment, there's just one thing I have to do first," Discord said. He conjured up a microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, fillies and gentlecolts, welcome to the fight of the century! In this corner, standing at five feet one inch not counting the hair and weighing in at two hundred and fifty pounds, the Prince of all Saiyans - VEGETA! And in this corner, standing at five feet seven inches and weighing in at two hundred and seventy-nine pounds, the Saiyan raised on Earth - GOKU, or if you prefer, KAKAROT! Vegeta, are you ready to fight?"

"Just get the hell out of my way, freak, or I'll kill you too!" Vegeta yelled.

"Goku, are you ready to fight?"

"Uh...sure, I guess," Goku said nervously.

"Okay. Well then, boys, I'd say let's have a good, clean fight, but knowing just how much Vegeta wants to kill Goku, that's not going to happen. So, Round One - ready...FIGHT!"

He warped away from the two combatants as they charged for each other. Their punches and kicks were blurred as they attacked each other. Block, attack, block, attack - it was a viscious cycle. The two combatants screamed, yelled, grunted, shouted as they continued their relentless attacks.

Goku deflected one of Vegeta's punches and delivered a hard kick to Vegeta's head, sending him flying into the solid rock of the mountain.

"Ouch!" Doris winced. "That looked like it hurt."

"Hurt?" Isaac asked. "That probably killed him."

Goku hovered in front of the hole in the solid rock. "Hey Vegeta! Are you okay in there?"

"Why's he asking?" Twilight asked. "He knows that - "

"Yeah," Vegeta's voice echoed from inside the rock. "I'm fan-freaking-tastic. Nothing but gum drops and ice cream in here."

"Gum drops and ice cream?" Pinkie Pie repeated. "Can I join you? Huh, can I can I can I?"

"I'm surrounded by idiots," Vegeta groaned.

"Wait a second," Pinkie Pie said. "You just said that you were surrounded by gum drops and ice cream."

Vegeta let out a loud, angry scream, shattering the rock surrounding him. Pebbles and shattered stone fell down around them.

"That's enough out of the peanut gallery," he hissed. "All of you over there, SHUT UP!"

"What's the matter, Vegeta?" Goku asked. "Ice cream headache?"

Vegeta let out another angry scream and flew up into the air. "That's it! Everyone dies! Say goodbye to this godforsaken world, Kakarot!" He held his hands against his side and channeled his energy.

"Oh, I've got a bad feeling about this," Doris said.

Celestia turned to Discord. "Discord, you have to stop this now!"

"Oh, so sorry, Celestia," Discord said. "All I can do is regulate the beginning and ending of each round and determine the winner."

Goku held his hands against his side, cupping them at the wrist, and began to channel his energy. "Vegeta, we don't have to do this!"

"Oh how wrong you are, Kakarot!" Vegeta screamed. "_Gallick Gun..._"

"_Ka...me...ha...me..._"

"This is going to be bad," Isaac said. "Everyone down!" They all dived towards the ground, Celestia covering all of them with her wings, just as Vegeta thrust his hands forward.

"_FIRE!_" A wave of violet energy left his hand and flew straight at Goku.

Goku thrust his hands forward. "_HA!_" A wave of blue energy left his hands and met Vegeta's attack. The two energy waves pushed against each other; the collective energy of both attacks caused the ground to shake, to crack, caused parts of the mountain to collapse.

"It's all over, Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled. "I've put every ounce of energy into this attack!" His energy wave began to overtake Goku's.

"Whoo-ee, look at them go!" Discord said, once again talking into his magically created microphone. "This is what it's all about, viewers, two men engaged in an epic battle to finally decide who's the best! Could you ask for anything better in sports' entertainment?"

Goku channeled more of his energy into his attack. His energy wave began to overtake Vegeta's.

"No," Vegeta said. "No, no, no, nonono." Goku's energy wave got closer to Vegeta. "Nonononononononononononononono - " Goku's attack enveloped Vegeta, sending him flying into the sky. "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU - "

"The Saiyan is up," Discord said. "He's going, going - GONE! It's all over, folks! We have a winner!"

Goku's energy wave disappated. The shaking stopped, and the yellow glow surrounded Goku disappeared. He let out a sigh of relief.

Celestia retracted her wings, allowing her younger friends to slowly stand up and survey the damage. Goku was still standing; Vegeta was nowhere to be seen; the mountainside looked utterly destroyed.

"What happened to the other guy?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Did he die?"

"I don't know, Rainbow," Isaac replied.

A moment later, Vegeta slammed into the ground, landing hard on his back and forming a shallow, man-sized crater.

"That looked like it hurt," Doris said.

"If he's still alive, then he's going to start fighting again as soon as he regains consciousness," Twilight said. She ran down the side of the mountain towards Goku and Vegeta.

"Twilight, what the hell are you doing?" Isaac called after her.

"Hey, wait a moment," Discord said. "Secondary combatants aren't allowed to enter the fight."

Isaac took out his knife and threw it at Discord. The blade stuck in his chest.

"You shut up," Isaac hissed. He turned to the others. "Come on, let's go." They followed Twilight

###########################

Vegeta slowly woke up. The first thing he saw was Kakarot staring down at him with that shit-eating grin of his.

"Hey buddy. Sorry about that. You okay?"

"If I could move I'd tear that grin right off your god damn face, Kakarot," Vegeta growled.

The next thing he saw was six multi-colored horses surrounding him, the same ones that had been watching the fight. "Great. What do you fuzzballs want?"

The purple horse, a unicorn, turned to Kakarot and started talking, actual human speech. "I have an idea. Could you hold your friend down for me?"

"Uh, sure thing, horsie," Kakarot said. "Sorry about this, Vegeta, but I hope this horse knows what she's doing." He pinned Vegeta's arms to the ground.

"Get off of me, Kakarot!" Vegeta screamed. He saw the purple unicorn's horn start to glow. "What the hell do you think you're doing, flea bag!"

The unicorn pressed her horn against Vegeta's forehead. He felt an incredible warmth flowing through him. His memories started flowing back to him, both good and bad. He felt himself beginning to regain control of his mind and his body.

The color began to return to Vegeta's skin, and his eyes lost the demonic red glow. "You okay, Vegeta?" Kakarot asked.

"I feel like I just got crushed by the moon," Vegeta said. "What the hell happened?"

Kakarot picked Vegeta up off the ground and slung his arm over his shoulders for support. "Funny story, that."

"Don't bother telling me, Kakarot," Vegeta said. "I remember now." He turned his eyes to Discord, who was still standing atop the mountain. "It was him. That freak somehow entered my mind, made me the way I was...before." He shot Discord a murderous look.

"You're not the only one he's messed with," Isaac said. "We've all dealt with him in some form or another."

"Now look what you've done," Discord whined. "You just _had_ to ruin it, didn't you? You ruined the best fight to ever grace sports' television."

"I've heard enough out of that son of a bitch," Isaac said. He got ready to charge at Discord.

Vegeta put a hand on Isaac's shoulder. "Stand aside, boy," he said. "That freak is mine."

"With respect, um, Vegeta, but you're not exactly in the best shape to take on Discord," Isaac said.

"I will be in a moment," Vegeta replied. He turned to Kakarot. "Kakarot, give me a Senzu bean."

"Are you sure about this, Vegeta?" Kakarot asked. "What's to stop him from getting to you again?"

"_I_ will stop him," Vegeta hissed. "Now just give me a damn bean."

Kakarot reached into the pouch tied to his belt and handed Vegeta a green bean the size of a lima bean. "Okay. Here you go." He stopped supporting Vegeta and took a step back. He turned to the two kids and the ponies. "I think you guys might want to back up just a little bit."

"Why?" Doris asked.

Vegeta popped the bean into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed. All his injuries, every broken bone, every scrape, every bruise, every bleeding wound, was healed instantly, and with an explosion of energy - not to mention an angry scream - he became a Super Saiyan.

"That's why," Kakarot said.

##########################

Vegeta charged at Discord and slammed into him with a fury of punches and kicks, attacks so devestating they would have broken a human in half. Discord reeled from the attacks, the last of which sent Discord flying into the side of the mountain.

"Ouch. Okay, that one hurt."

Vegeta landed in front of Discord, a look of pure murder in his eyes. "Let me tell you right now, you messed with the wrong Saiyan, you freak," Vegeta said. "That was your first mistake. Your second mistake was thinking you could control _me_ - me, the Prince of Saiyans. And that, freak, is a mistake that will get you killed."

Discord made a mock mouth with his hand. "Blah, blah, blah, that's all I'm hearing out of you."

Vegeta shot some rings of energy out of his fingers - two for Discord's arms, two for his legs, one for his tail, and one for his neck. The rings pinned Discord to the rock.

Vegeta walked over to Discord. "What, did you think I'd be under your control forever?"

"That's usually how it's supposed to work," Discord replied.

"Too bad," Vegeta said. He backhanded Discord. "What's the matter, freak? Are you feeling angry? Humiliated? Is that it?" He began punching Discord in the face and stomach. "You don't know what humiliation is!" He pulled back for another punch, but Discord warped away before Vegeta's attack could connect.

"But you've gotta admit, it was fun while it lasted, wasn't it?" Discord asked, now hovering above Vegeta.

"Fun?" Vegeta repeated. "Like hell it was. You humiliated me! You made a fool of me!"

"Oh, I think I touched a nerve," Discord said, clearly toying with Vegeta.

"You may have taken my body and my mind," Vegeta said. He began channeling some more energy. "But there's one thing a Saiyan always keeps - HIS PRIDE!" He charged at Discord, hitting the draconequus so hard he was sent flying, away from the mountain -

And landing in the center of Canterlot!

Vegeta followed, with the intent to kill.

"Oh no," Twilight gasped. "They're in Canterlot! This is _not_ going to be good."

"You're right, Twilight," Isaac said. "We have to get there now."

"But that's at least a mile away," Applejack said. "Ain't no way we'll make it in time."

"All of you, gather around me," Celestia said. The six ponies, dragon, and three humans formed a circle around Celestia, and within a second, they were in the center of Canterlot square, having arrived just as Vegeta began attacking Discord again.

Several ponies were running away from the fight; others were watching, either intrigued or frightened by what they were seeing. Discord tried to fight back, but Vegeta wasn't giving him the chance; he dodged Discord's attacks and continued with his own, punching and kicking.

Discord swiped his tail at Vegeta. Vegeta dodged Discord's tail and grabbed his wings. He pressed his knee against Discord's back and pulled against his wings, until the wings had been pulled out of their sockets, leaving nothing but bloody sinew behind.

Discord's screams of pain echoed throughout the city.

"Tell me, freak. How does pain feel?" He delivered a hard kick to Discord's back. "I don't know about you, but to me, your pain feels good." He fired several ki blasts at Discord. "Scream! Scream for me, you freak! Give me the pleasure of hearing your cries of pain!"

The smoke cleared. Discord was unharmed, minus his now torn-out wings. He coughed as the smoke cleared. "Wow. Dusty. Hey, Vegeta, if your plan was to give me asthma, I'd say you succeeded."

Vegeta let out a scream of anger and rage. "I will not stand for this! I will not be mocked by some genetic mutation!" He charged at Discord. Discord lowered his head, brandishing his horns, and rushed forward to meet Vegeta's charge.

Vegeta grabbed Discord's horns and halted his charge. "Bad move, freak." He put his foot on the top of Discord's head and, with all his strength, tore Discord's horns out of his head. Rivulets of blood rolled down Discord's face as he cried out in pain.

Vegeta took Discord's horns and stabbed them into Discord's chest, then kicked him back. "Let's finish this, freak." He put his hands together in front of him. "You call yourself the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, right? Well, if that's true, if you're truly confident in your abilities after all of this, then stay right where you are!" He channeled all of his energy into his hands. "_FINAL FLASH!_" A massive wave of energy flew out of his hands and slammed into Discord. The impact created a huge explosion and a massive cloud of smoke. The smoke began to clear, and Vegeta could still see Discord silhouetted against a nearby building. "Damn you," Vegeta hissed. "Damn you, damn you, _damn you to hell!_" He fired another energy wave at Discord, and another. The smoke cleared, and there was nothing left of Discord.

Vegeta started to laugh. "He's gone! He's gone! I did it! He's dead!"

"I can't believe it," Rainbow Dash gasped. "Discord, dead?"

"I never thought it possible," Celestia said.

The yellow glow surrounding Vegeta disappeared. "Let that be a lesson to all of you," he said. "You make a fool of me, and I won't hesitate to kill any of you. Got it?"

No one said anything; they just stared at Vegeta, surprised and scared at what they had just witnessed.


	18. Saiyans

SAIYANS

TWILIGHT WALKED OVER TO VEGETA. SHE EXAMINED HIS FACE; HE WAS bruised, with a black eye, a split lip, a bloodied nose; there were multiple cuts and bruises all across his body; his face was glistening with blood and sweat. He was breathing heavily, like he was trying to catch his breath after being hit in the gut.

She turned her attention to where Discord was just a moment ago, before Vegeta obliterated him with that energy wave. There was nothing left, save for a crater in the ground, a crater that was still smoking and had small blotches of dried blood all throughout it.

She looked back up at Vegeta. "Excuse me," she said. "But don't you think that was a bit...excessive?"

Vegeta spat at the crater. "I went easy on him." He turned away from the crater. "And why, exactly, are you talking to me, flea bag?"

"I have a name, you know," Twilight hissed. "It's Twilight Sparkle."

Vegeta started laughing. "What a stupid name!" He looked at Celestia. "And what do they call you? White Out?"

"Hey!" Twilight shouted. "Don't talk to Princess Celestia like that!"

Vegeta took a deep breath as he stopped laughing. "First some serpentine freak that looked like it crawled out of a genetic cesspool, and now talking horses."

"Oh, don't be so rude, Vegeta," Goku said. "They are just adorable."

"So, who are you guys?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I thought Isaac and Doris were the only humans in Equestria right now."

"Equestria?" Goku asked.

"Perhaps it's better if we discuss this at the palace," Celestia said.

"At least get cleaned up first," Rarity added. "I doubt the Princess would enjoy you trudging through the palace covered in dirt and blood." She sniffed. "And that stench. Honestly, when was the last time you two took a bath?"

Goku raised an arm and sniffed his armpit. "Wow. You're right."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "God...damn it all."

####################################

Isaac rolled the Five-Star Ball in his hand as he, Doris, Spike, and the ponies waited for Goku and Vegeta to get back from cleaning up. His thoughts began to wander as he stared at the shiny yellow orb - where had these two other humans come from? How did they get to Equestria? Were they looking for the Dragon Balls too? How were they flying like that? What was that strange yellow glow surrounding them - was it natural, or were they victims of Alten Labs' genetic experiments? Were they affiliated with the One World Nation or the Labs in any sort of way?

That wasn't the only thing nagging at his thoughts. He thought back to Discord, to what the draconequus had told him. Was it true, that Isaac wasn't really humans, or was Discord just toying with him? He didn't know for sure. Part of him hoped Goku or Vegeta had the answer, but he knew that that was an impossibility.

_Unless they knew my father, but he never talked about anyone with those names._

"Are you okay, Isaac?"

Isaac's thoughts were interrupted by Fluttershy's tiny squeak of a voice. He put the Dragon Ball back into his pocket and knelt down next to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "I was just thinking, that's all."

"About what Discord told you?"

"That. And where these other two people came from."

The doors to the throne room opened, and Goku and Vegeta walked in, now cleaned up, though still wearing the same clothes; Goku an orange gi and blue boots, and Vegeta a blue jumpsuit with white chest armor and white gloves and boots.

"There. Much better," Rarity said.

"Stuff it, horse," Vegeta growled. He stormed over to Celestia. "Just where the hell are we?"

Twilight jumped between the two of them, giving Vegeta a look of pure anger. "Let's get one thing straight, buster. That's Princess Celestia you're talking to. So show some respect!"

"Fine," Vegeta growled. "But _you_ get one thing straight, flea bag. This is Vegeta, the Prince of Saiyans that you're talking to. So show some respect!"

"Wait one apple lickin' minute," Applejack said. "Y'all mean to tell us that you're a prince?"

"That's right," Vegeta replied.

"Well, you sure don't act the part," Rarity said. "A prince is supposed to present himself with regality, not whatever it is that you're showing off."

"That's enough, my little ponies," Celesita said. "I'll gladly answer any questions the two of you may have."

"Then tell us where we are, Your Majesty," Vegeta said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he finished his sentence.

_This guy's kind of a dick,_ Isaac thought.

"You're in Equestria," Celestia said. "The four of you are the only humans in this world, though there have been other human visitors in the past. Now, answer my question, Prince Vegeta. How did you are your friend come into Equestria?"

"I want to know that too," Doris put in. "Isaac and I came here through a teleporter so we could escape the soldiers. What are the chances the two of you found the same teleporter?"

"Even if we had, girl, I would have killed any soldiers guarding it with no trouble at all," Vegeta said. "No, Kakarot found a portable one. We've been travelling from place to place, looking for the Dragon Balls, before we ended up in this godforsaken place."

"Did you just say, Dragon Balls?" Isaac asked.

"He sure did," Goku - or Kakarot, Isaac wasn't sure which one it was - said. "Why? You know where we can find them?"

"No, but we've got three," Isaac replied. He took the Dragon Balls out of his jacket pockets.

"Hand them over, now," Vegeta ordered.

"Sorry, but that's not going to happen," Isaac said.

"Do you want to die, boy?" Vegeta hissed.

"Go easy on him, Vegeta," Goku said, putting a hand on Vegeta's shoulder. "He's just a kid."

"And besides," Twilight said as she, Rarity, Applejack, Flutershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie formed a protective line in front of Isaac. "If you really want to hurt Isaac, you'll have to get through us first."

"Well look at you. I'll admit, the six of you have got some serious guts," Vegeta said. "Fine. The boy can live. But tell me something, kid. Where did you find those three Dragon Balls you have now?"

"My father gave me the Four-Star Ball just before he died, and we found the other two here in Equestria," Isaac replied.

"Wait, your father?" Goku asked. "Was his name Gerald Lawrence?"

Isaac's breath caught in his throat. He felt his heart skip a beat. "Did - did you know my father?"

"Gerald and I were old friends from a long time ago," Goku replied. "Sorry to hear that he died. But that's why you're looking for the Dragon Balls, isn't it? So you can summon the dragon and wish your dad back to life!"

"Ooh, he's good," Pinkie Pie said.

"No, that's not it," Isaac said. "Well, I'm hoping that's part of it. You see, before he died, I promised my father that I would gather the Dragon Balls and set things right back home, make the world how it was before the One World Nation came to power. You see? That's why I can't give you the Dragon Balls I have. I can't break that promise."

"You're keeping a promise to a man who wasn't your biological father?" Vegeta asked. "Well, you're loyal, if nothing else."

"So it's true then. What Discord said. It's true that I really am a Saiyan, isn't it? And along with you two, I'm one of the last?"

Doris turned to Isaac. "What are you saying? Of course that's - "

"True," Vegeta said before Doris could finish her sentence. "Actually, you were one of the few born off world before Frieza destroyed our home planet. Why your birth mother and father sent you to Earth is a mystery to me, though."

"Wait a bucking second," Rainbow Dash said. "So you mean to tell me that not only was Discord telling the truth for once, but that Isaac here is some sort of human alien thing?"

"I don't believe it," Isaac whispered. "So I've been lied to my entire life?" He looked down at his hands, which were shaking rather hard. "I - I'm sorry, everyone. But I need to be alone." He pushed his way past the ponies and ran out of the room.

###############################

Isaac stood on the birdge over looking Canterlot. He could see so much of Equestria from here - Ponyville, the Everfree Forest, even hints of the arctic north. He looked down into the city. It had only been a few hours since Discord's death, and already ponies were hard at work fixing the crater Vegeta's Final Flash had formed and cleaning up the rubble.

Discord. That freak. But what he had told Isaac, about him being one of the last Saiyans left alive in the universe...It was true. Goku and Vegeta had confirmed that. So many thoughts were swimming through his head right now. Why had his father kept his true heritage a secret from him? Was this why he was always being picked on in school, why he had no friends besides Doris? Was this why the scientists from the Labs had hooked him up to that machine? He remembered one of them saying something about him having some sort of hidden power, and that they were going to use his blood for...something.

He shut his eyes tight, but that didn't stop the tears from squeezing through.

_Why me? Of all the people, why did it have to be _me_? Why'd my father keep it a secret from me? Was this why he was teaching me all those things?_

He felt something soft brushing up against his arm. He opened his eyes. Fluttershy was next to him, nudging his hand with her snout.

"What's wrong, Isaac? And please, don't tell me that you were just thinking this time."

"There's no fooling you, Fluttershy," Isaac said. He wiped his eyes. "Fluttershy, have you ever lived your whole life thinking you were one thing, only to suddenly find out that you were something entirely different?"

"Well, no. I don't think so."

"I didn't want to believe Discord, but Goku and Vegeta have proven that he was right," Isaac continued. He put his head in his hands. "Oh God, my head feels like it's about to explode from all this confusion."

"Oh, well, we wouldn't want that to happen now," Fluttershy said. "Do you need me to go get you an aspirin?"

"No, I'll be fine," Isaac replied. "Physically, anyway. Mentally, I'm not so sure. I mean - who am I? _What_ am I? Am I a human? Am I Saiyan? I just don't know!"

"Well, there's something that _I_ know," Fluttershy said.

"What's that, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy put a hoof on Isaac's arm. "You'll always be Isaac to the rest of us." She looked up at him and smiled sweetly.

Isaac smiled back at her. He knelt down and drew the yellow pegasus in for a hug. "Thanks you, Fluttershy. Thank you so much."

#############################

Rainbow Dash had already flown fifty laps around Canterlot, and it wasn't even midnight. Everypony had gone to bed hours ago, exhausted from the events of the day and preparing to go back to Ponyville tomorrow afternoon. But Rainbow Dash couldn't sleep; that fight had filled her with so much adrenaline, even though she was just watching. So she snuck out of the suite the princess had offered them and started flying laps around Canterlot. It was something she'd done since she was a filly up in Cloudsdale; if she was having trouble sleeping, she'd go out for a flight.

Not only was it a way for her to get out all of her excess energy, but it was also a bit of a game to her. It didn't matter if it was Cloudsdale, Ponyville, Canterlot, even the Crystal Empire, if she was flying laps around it, she always tried to cut her time. Normally she'd be by herself, but there was the rare occassion when somepony else would be timing her.

She had just finished her fifty-fifth lap when she spotted Isaac on the balcony. She swooped down and landed next to him, folding her wings against her body and wiping some sweat off her brow with a foreleg.

"Hey Isaac. Let me guess. You couldn't sleep either."

"Yeah. I've just got a lot on my mind. How about you?"

"Too much energy," Rainbow Dash replied. She flapped her wings. "That fight filled me with so much adrenaline that I can't even think about sleep right now. So I've been flying laps around Canterlot." She looked up to a nearby tower. "Hey Princess Luna! What was my time on that last lap?"

"You have shaved off thrity-nine and a half seconds, Rainbow Dash!" Luna called down to her.

"Haha. Shave off another three and three quarter minutes and I'm good," Rainbow said with a hoof pump. She turned back to Isaac. "You're still thinking about what Dopey Discord told you, right? Forget about it. He always lied."

"Not this time."

"Oh. Right. Yeah, Fluttershy told me." She walked over to Isaac and put a wing on his arm. "Well, maybe this is a good thing."

"I guess I could adjust to the knowledge of who I really am, but it's going to take some time."

"Hey, just don't think about it. You know who you are, right? So what if you just found out that you're some alien from another world who was originally meant to destroy and sell whole planets?"

"Not helping, Dash."

"Sorry," Rainbow said with a nervous chuckle. "What I'm trying to say is, don't stop being you." She flapped her wings again. "Well, I'll see you in the morning. I've still got a few more laps to do. Start the clock, Luna!" She flew away at a high speed, leaving a rainbow streak in her wake.

"She's right," Isaac said. "I've got to stop thinking about that. So what if I really _am_ a Saiyan? Why the hell should that matter? It shouldn't. I may be a Saiyan, but I'm more human than anything. My name isn't Norion like Discord said it was. My name is Isaac Lawrence, and I'll be damned if anyone tries to take that away from me."

"That's a very good thing to hear, Isaac," Luna called down from the tower.

"Luna! Stop eavesdropping on me," Isaac called back.

He headed back inside and made his way over to his bed. He crawled under the covers and put his head on the pillow, a smile slowly forming on his face.


	19. Boast Busters

BOAST BUSTERS

"I MEAN, THAT WAS SUPER AWESOME!" SPIKE CRIED AS THE TRAIN ROLLED down the tracks. "Watching you fight Discord like that - you were all like BAM! POW! KICK! And he was all like AUGH! And then KABOOM! That was incredible!"

"Little lizard's quite the jabberjaw, isn't he?" Goku asked.

"He's just excited," Doris replied. "From what I understand, the last two times Discord was defeated they could only manage to turn him to stone."

"And they didn't think to smash him with a sledgehammer?" Vegeta asked.

"Funny, Isaac said the same thing," Twilight replied. "But I guess we don't have to worry about that now."

"But Spike's right, that was CRAZY AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"More like totally barbaric," Rarity said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you expect me to politely ask him to die? That freak made an utter fool of me, and he had to pay."

The train screeched to a halt as it pulled into Ponyville station. "Here we are, everypony. Watch your step as you exit the train," the conductor called from the front of the car.

"About time," Goku said as he stood up from his seat. He started walking towards the exit. "I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry, Kakarot," Vegeta grumbled.

"Okay, that's really confusing me," Isaac said. "We've got two people giving one person two different names. Which one is it?"

"His Earth name is Goku, and his Saiyan name is Kakarot," Vegeta replied. "Call him whichever you prefer, I don't care."

"Enough talk, where's the food?" Goku asked.

"He's right, I'm feeling a little snack-y too," Pinkie Pie said. "Sugar Cube Corner, here I come!"

"Hey Pinkie! Wait for me!" Goku called as he followed the bouncing Pinkie Pie off the train.

###################################

Because the six ponies were joined by Spike and four humans, the had to split themselves up among three tables. They all had a different flavor of milkshake - chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, peanut butter, orange sherbert - and each table had an order of cupcakes, ten cupcakes per table. They all took small bites of their cupcakes, savoring the sweet taste of the icing and the filling -

All except for Goku and Pinkie Pie, who were hungrily downing cupcake after cupcake, barely chewing as they shoved one cupcake after another into their mouths.

Pinkie Pie swallowed what was in her mouth and took a drink of her chocolate milkshake. "Hey Goku, I bet I can eat more cupcakes than you can!"

"You're on, Pinkie Pie," Goku said. He picked up a new pair of cupcakes, one in each hand. "Ready...GO!" He and Pinkie began hurridly shoving cupcakes into their mouths, barely bothering to chew, just swallowing and putting more cupcakes into their mouths, stopping only to take a sip of their milkshakes.

The others looked on with both disdain and disgust. Fluttershy left the room -

_Most likely to the restroom so she can throw up,_ Isaac thought. _Seeing this, I don't blame her._ He pushed his food away from him. "Yeah, I think I just lost my appetite," he said.

"I hear ya, Isaac," Applejack said. "I may have been born and raised in a barn, but even _I_ have got better table manners than that!"

Vegeta's face conveyed a look of pure repulsion. "Disgusting."

"I must agree," Rarity said. "Honestly, you two, has nopony taught you table manners?"

Goku and Pinkie stopped eating just long enough to shake their heads and respond to Rarity's question, sending chewed up chunks of cupcake and icing flying in all directions.

"Okay, now how about you two try saying that _without_ food in your mouths?" Rainbow Dash hissed.

Goku swallowed and took a drink of his milkshake. "It's a contest, table manners don't really matter."

"Yeah," Pinkie agreed. "And besides, I think I'm winning!"

"No you're not, I am," Goku said. He started shoving cupcakes into his mouth again, Pinkie following suit a second later.

"Okay, this is getting way too gross for me," Twilight said. She climbed back onto all four feet and started walking towards the door. "If anypony needs me, I'll be back at the library."

"Yeah, I'm leaving too," Isaac said as he stood up. He followed Twilight out the door of the bakery -

Only to get plowed into by two young colts.

Everyone else had rushed to the door; everyone barring Goku and Pinkie. "What was that?" Doris asked.

Isaac slowly picked himself off of the ground. "That's starting to become a regular occurrence."

"Oh, sorry about that," one of the colts, a unicorn, like his friend, said. He was about the same size as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, albeit a bit on the chubby side, with a blue fur coat and a Cutie Mark of a pair of silver scissors. The other colt was also a unicorn, but taller and lankier than his friend. He had a dopey expression on his face, messy hair, and a Cutie Mark of a pink snail.

"So what do they call you two?" Vegeta asked. "Dopey and Dum-Dum?"

"Snips, Snails, what's the matter?" Twilight asked, ignoring Vegeta.

"Haven't you heard?" Snips asked excitedly. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has come back to town!"

"She's set up in the town square," Snails added.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Not her again."

"What's wrong, Twilight?" Isaac asked. "You know this so-called 'Great and Powerful' Trixie?"

"Yes, I do," Twilight replied. "She's a unicorn and like me, her special talent is magic. But unlike me, she goes around showing it off like a school filly with new ribbons, as Applejack once put it. She even claimed that she destroyed an Ursa Major that was terrorizing Hoofington."

"Wait, she killed a star constellation?" Vegeta asked. He crossed his arms. "I find that highly unlikely."

"It is," Twilight said. "It's impossible to destroy an Ursa Major, and Trixie knows it. That's why she ran away when its baby, an Ursa Minor, came rampaging through town." She shot an angry look towards Snips and Snails. "Because _somepony_ woke it up." At this, Snips and Snails took a tentative step back, like they were trying to get out of Twilight's reach.

"So what happened?" Doris asked. "Did Trixie chase it away, at least?"

"No, she didn't," Twilight replied. "She ran away as soon as she saw the Ursa, leaving it up to me to use my magic and send it back to the Everfree Forest." Again, she turned her gaze towards Snips and Snails. "And I certainly hope those certain someponies don't bring another Ursa Minor to town."

"No Ursas this time,' Snips said. "Promise."

Pinkie Pie and Goku had joined them now, their faces covered in cupcake crumbs and icing. "Do you Pinkie Promise?" Pinkie asked. She made a cross shape over her chest with her hoof and placed it against her eye. "Cross your heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in your eye?"

Snips and Snails did the motions, crossing their chests and placing their hooves against their eyes. "We Pinkie Promise," Snips said. They placed their hooves back on the ground. "Now come on, the show's about to start! She's in the town square!" They hurried away, obviously eager to see the show.

Twilight was eager to see the show as well, if only to see if Trixie had changed since her last visit to Ponyville. She had said that she was grateful and apologetic after the terror she put Ponyville through while under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet, but Twilight had her reservations.

_Still, it wouldn't hurt to go see the show,_ she thought. She took a deep breath and followed the two colts down the street, towards the town square.

#################################

It seemed like everypony in Ponyville had come to see the show. They had to push their way through the crowd of ponies, carefully making their way to the front so they didn't hit anypony or accidentally step on any tails. As they got to the front of the crowd, they saw a small wooden cart sitting in the middle of the street.

"This is it?" Doris asked. "It's just a plain old cart."

A voice came from the cart, a feminine voice; strong, powerful, and obnoxiously loud.

"Come one, come all, and witness the magic of The Great and Powerful Trixie!" The front of the cart unfolded, transforming into a stage set against a dark blue curtain, and in a puff of smoke, a pony - a mare - appeared, a mare with a bright blue fur coat, an even light mane and tail, her Cutie Mark a half-moon with a magic wand through it, and dressed in a wizard's hat and robe.

"This is The Great and Powerful Trixie?" Isaac asked. "She looks just like any other pony, barring the outfit."

Trixie set her eyes on Isaac, studying him hard. "Ah, someone who has not seen The Great and Powerful Trixie before, I see. You must be those humans Trixie has heard about. Where are your giant aliens, the ones that nearly destroyed Canterlot?"

"The Autobots and Decepticons left for their own world months ago," Twilight said. "Isaac and the other humans are from somewhere completely different."

Trixie set her gaze upon Twilight, eyeing her with a mixture of coldness and friendliness. "Twilight Sparkle. It's been a while. While Trixie still hasn't forgotten how you showed her up with that Ursa Minor, Trixie is still grateful to you for getting rid of the Alicorn Amulet." She chuckled. "But these ponies, and these humans as well, haven't come for our conversation, they want to see The Great and Powerful Trixie perform feats of magic never before seen by pony eyes!" As she finished her sentence, a series of fireworks went off, the _whoosh_ of their fuses leaving Isaac's ears ringing.

"So, Ponyville, what shall Trixie do first? Perhaps a new trick, yes?" She set her eyes upon a small gray unicorn standing next to a gray, blonde-maned pegasus. "Yes, Trixie knows. Trixie shall make a little filly disappear."

"Oldest trick in the book," Goku whispered.

Trixie pointed to the filly with her hoof. "You, my little filly. How would you like to help The Great and Powerful Trixie with this trick? Trixie assures you, it's quick and painless."

The unicorn filly looked up to the older pegasus - most likely her foalsitter - with worry in her tiny eyes. The pegasus looked down at the filly and smiled sweetly before nudging her with her snout.

The filly tentatively climbed up onto stage to stand next to Trixie. Trixie smiled at the filly.

"Now watch, Ponyvillians, as The Great and Powerful Trixie makes this litle filly disappear, and then reappear, right before your eyes!" She materialized a dark blue curtain and draped it over the filly. "Trixie assures you, Ponyville, that there are no smoke or mirrors involved with this trick, just simple unicorn magic." She reared up onto her hind legs and pointed her front legs at the curtain-covered filly, even as her hat levitated off of her head, revealing her now glowing horn.

A second later, the curtain collapsed, falling into a crumpled heap on the floor. Trixie brushed the curtain away with a hoof -

And there was no sign of the filly!

"Dinky Doo!" the pegasus cried. "Where is she?"

"I'm sure she's okay, Ditzy," Twilight said, her own voice filling with worry for the young unicorn.

"I'm responsible for that little filly," Ditzy Doo cried. She glared at Trixie. "If anything happened to that filly, I'll kill you!"

"Don't get your mane in a bunch, Ditzy Doo," Trixie said. "For now, Trixie will bring the young filly back!" She put the curtain back where it had been before she brushed it away, taking the time to straighten it out and take out all the wrinkles. "Observe, Ponyville, as The Great and Powerful Trixie brings the young filly back from where she is now!" Again, she reared up, and her horn began to glow again.

The curtain rose up, taking the form of a unicorn. Trixie grabbed the curtain in her mouth and pulled it away, revealing Dinky Doo, safe and with a wide grin on her tiny face.

"Dinky, you're safe! Thank Celestia," Ditzy Doo breathed as Dinky leaped down from the stage. The two ponies nuzzled against each other.

"That was actually fun, Mommy," Dinky said.

"Yes, such is the magic of The Great and Powerful Trixie," Trixie said, clearly gloating. "None are more powerful than Trixie. It's a proven fact, there is no unicorn, or even _alicorn_, who can match Trixie's prowess."

"Oh, please," Vegeta said. "I've seen better magic tricks from a side-show circus."

"Is that so?" Trixie asked tauntingly.

"Yes, it is," Vegeta replied. "And as for your little boast - HA! I've heard newborns who gloat better than you. Great and Powerful? More like Weak and Pathetic."

There was a collective gasp from the crowd of ponies, and even Trixie was visibly taken aback.

"How - how dare you make such a claim against The Great and Powerful Trixie!" she hissed. "Why, even the mighty Princess Celestia pales in comparison to Trixie's magic!"

Vegeta walked towards the stage and leaped up onto the wooden platform. "I'll admit, I'm not capable of magic like you unicorns are, but seriously, your boasting could use some serious work."

"Well then, how about we have a boasting contest?" Trixie suggested. She turned to the crowd. "What do you think, Ponyville? Do you think this hairless ape can out-boast The Great and Powerful Trixie?" There were cheers from the crowd. Everyone was cheering for Trixie, everyone save for Isaac, Doris, Goku, Spike, and Twilight and her friends.

"I'll let you go first, flea bag," Vegeta said. "Don't want you to be humiliated from the very beginning."

Trixie glared at him, a look of pure murder in her eyes as she levitated her magician's hat back onto her head, the hat once again covering up her horn.

"As you wish, human," Trixie said. She cleared her throat. "You are in the presence of The Great and Powerful Trixie, the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria. Trixie's magical prowess knows no bounds, and there is no unicorn or alicorn to match the magic of The Great and Powerful Trixie!" She crossed her legs, a smug look on her face as she stared at Vegeta. "Let's see you top that, human."

Vegeta stared at Trixie for a moment, and then began to laugh. "That can't be all! I was right, there _are_ newborns with better gloating ability than you." He pointed to Dinky Doo. "I'm pretty sure that runt is better at boasting than you are."

"Then let's hear what you have to say," Trixie challenged.

A smile crossed Vegeta's face. "That is a decision you may end up regretting." He took a deep breath. "You are in the presence of the most powerful warrior in the universe - Vegeta, the Prince of Saiyans."

"You're a prince?" Trixie asked.

"But I'm not your average Saiyan Prince," Vegeta continued. "Oh, no. For you see, I am the legend. I am the most powerful warrior who has ever lived, who is only born once every millenium." As he spoke, he began to channel his energy, creating a strong wind that nearly blew every pony off their hooves. "I...AM A SUPER SAIYAN!" With an explosion of energy, he was surrounded by the yellow glow of a Super Saiyan. There was a collective gasp from the crowd of ponies, gasps of fright, gasps of intrigue, as Vegeta stood there, staring at Trixie through the yellow aura. Trixie took several steps back, her face contorting in fear as Vegeta began to speak again, his voice loud, bellowing, commanding, a voice that commanded the ultimate respect and filled every pony in the area with a sense of fear.

"I am the perfect warrior, cold and ruthless! I live by my strength alone, uninhibited by foolish emotions! All who have faced me have faced their own death! Everywhere I go, my name is synonymous with death and destruction! Hundreds of planets, thousands of civilizations, millions of people have met their end at my hands! I could destroy this godforsaken world with just a single thought if I wanted! I have faced gods, aliens, androids, demons, all of whom I have killed! I even just recently destroyed the Spirit of Chaos himself!"

"You - you killed Discord?!" Trixie gasped.

"Killed? No, I _ANNIHILATED _him! There is no more powerful warrior than me!

_I am now an instrument of violence  
I am a vessel of invincibility  
I cannot leave this undecided  
Stepping down to battle another day  
Remember me for all time this  
Determination is a vital part of me  
Surrender now or be counted  
With the endless masses that I will defeat_

Come on bring it, don't sing it  
Better believe it  
Broken down, till your hope has died  
Beat down till the victory is mine  
Stand up and show me some pride  
And now, are you ready?

I'm one with the warrior inside  
My dominance can't be denied  
Your entire world will turn  
Into a battlefield tonight  
As I look upon you through  
The warrior's eyes now  
I can see the fear that will  
Ensure my victory this time

I can't be told to compromise this  
They'll never doubt the body lying at my feet  
A most formidable reminder  
They will speak my name for eternity  
I have no need of any guidance  
I am a weapon powerful beyond belief  
Seen through the warrior's eyes  
I never need to question how to defeat you  


_Come on bring it, don't sing it  
Better believe it  
Broken down, till your hope has died  
Beat down till the victory is mine  
Stand up and show me some pride  
And now, are you ready?_

I'm one with the warrior inside  
My dominance can't be denied  
Your entire world will turn  
Into a battlefield tonight  
As I look upon you through  
The warrior's eyes now  
I can see the fear that will  
Ensure my victory this time

You can't hide now  
I am the warrior  
So decide now  
How they'll remember you  
Do not hide now  
Act like a warrior  
Show your pride now  
Solidify your place in time

I'm one with the warrior inside  
My dominance can't be denied  
Your entire world will turn  
Into a battlefield tonight  
As I look upon you through  
The warrior's eyes now  
I can see the fear that will  
Ensure my victory this time

I'm one with the warrior inside  
The evidence can't be denied  
The entire world will stare  
Into this battlefield tonight  
As I stand before you  
With a warrior's heart now  
I can feel the strength that will  
Ensure my victory this time!" 

The yellow glow surrounding Vegeta faded away. The entire square was silent, the only sound being the quiet breathing of all the spectators, human and pony and dragon alike. Vegeta stood where he was, staring at Trixie, whose eyes were wide with fear and shock. Her legs were wobbling beneath her body. She fell to the floor, her hat falling off of her head. She kept her eyes on Vegeta, who kept his gaze on Trixie, never blinking.

"How - how am I supposed to top something like that?" Trixie asked, for once not speaking in the third person.

Vegeta leaped down from the stage. All nearby ponies quickly moved out of the way, giving him room, trying to get as far away from him as possible. It was clear they were very frightened of him.

"Like I said, needs work," he said as he looked over his shoulder to Trixie, who was slowly picking herself off of the floor.

Trixie used her magic to put her hat back on her head. "Yes, well, Trixie believes that you have made your point." She turned to the crowd of ponies. "Well, Trixie _was_ going to have this show go on until nightfall, but it's clear that nothing Trixie does will match what just happened in terms of excitement. So, we shall continue tomorrow at noon. Good day, Ponyville."

The crowd began to disperse. Isaac watched the ponies leave, going in all directions as they headed back home or back to work.

"Well, that was...interesting, to say the least," Rarity said.

"Think you went a little overboard, Vegeta?" Goku asked. "Going Super and all?"

"Like I said," Vegeta growled. "She's not great and powerful; she's weak and pathetic."

Twilight looked back at the stage as it folded away, once again forming a cart. As she stared at the cart, her thoughts began to set on Trixie. After Vegeta's boasting, she appeared to be unfazed, but Twilight knew better. She could hear it in Trixie's voice and see it in her eyes. Trixie wasn't scared, at least not after Vegeta finished gloating. No, she wasn't scared, but it was clear that her pride had taken a massive hit.

"Something on your mind, Twilight?"

Twilight looked up at Isaac. "I was just thinking, that's all."

"About Trixie? I'm sure she'll be fine," Isaac said.

"But it's clear that she had taken a massive blow to her ego," Twilight said. "I think I'll go talk to her." She walked towards the cart.

"Hey, wait for me," Isaac called after her. He jogged to catch up to her.

Twilight knocked on the wooden door of the cart. The top half of the door opened, and Trixie poked her head out, now absent her hat again.

"Oh. Twilight. And Trixie sees you brought a human with you."

"We just want to talk, Trixie," Twilight said.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie is very tired," Trixie replied. "Can it not wait until later?"

"You're not tired," Isaac said. "Look, Trixie, you're not fooling us. It's obvious Vegeta hurt your pride, and that's why you called the show off until tomorrow."

Trixie glared at Isaac. "You don't know anything, human. The Great and Powerful Trixie travelled for several miles from Mustangia to get to Ponyville. Trixie is very exhausted, rest assured."

"I'm sorry, Trixie, but I think Isaac's right," Twilight said. "I can see it in your eyes. You've taken a massive blow to your ego."

"You - you don't know that," Trixie cried.

Neither Isaac nor Twilight said anything; they just looked at Trixie.

"Oh, fine. You're right. Trixie - "

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Isaac said. "But could you drop the whole third-person thing? It's sort of weirding me out."

Trixie sighed. "You're right, Twilight Sparkle. I did take a blow to my ego. But I did my best not to show it to the spectators. Even so, I couldn't think of anything I could do to hold their interest in me any longer, so I called the show off until tomorrow. At least by then my pride won't be so broken."

Twilight smiled warmly at Trixie. "I haven't known Vegeta for very long, but I know that he's a very proud human being. Don't worry about him."

"One last thing," Isaac said. He took a Dragon Ball out of his pocket and showed it to Trixie. "Have you ever seen anything like this in your travels, Trixie?"

Trixie studied the Dragon Ball, eyeing it closely. "No, I haven't _seen_ it, but I have _heard_ about it. Last I heard about it was in Apploosa, I believe."

Isaac put the Dragon Ball back into his pocket. "Thanks, Trixie."

"Yes, well, if you don't mind, I'd let to get some rest now," Trixie said. "Good day." She slowly shut the door.

Isaac and Twilight turned and started walking down the street, making their way back to the library. Neither of them spoke as they walked, their thoughts drifting. Twilight couldn't help but worry about Trixie, hoping that she would feel better about herself by the next day.

Not Isaac. The only thing on his mind was getting that next Dragon Ball, which would bring his total up to four - six, counting the two Goku and Vegeta had.

But only one question remained - where was Apploosa?


	20. High Noon

HIGH NOON

EVEN THOUGH THEY'D LEFT PONYVILLE NOT EVEN FIVE HOURS, AGO, IT seemed like forever since the train had pulled out of the station. As the train rolled down the tracks, Isaac thought back to what had happened after he and Twilight left Trixie. He'd told Doris and the others about what Trixie had told them, about there possibly being a Dragon Ball in this place called Apploosa. Applejack had sent a letter to her cousin Braeburn telling him that they'd be coming within the next week, and they spent the last few days preparing for the trip. The main thing they had to pack was water; Applejack had said that Apploosa was in the middle of the Equestrian Desert.

That was nearly a week ago, and now here they were, on the train heading into the desert. At this rate, they'd be in Apploosa by tomorrow afternoon.

Even so, Vegeta was once again getting impatient, pacing back and forth in the car. Pinkie was watching him walk back and forth, noting the angry expression on his face.

"Somepony's getting cranky," she said.

"Oh, shut up," Vegeta hissed. "I just can't wait until we get there."

"You're excited, ain't ya?" Applejack asked. "Don't blame ya. I honestly can't wait to see Braeburn again. And I wonder how Bloomberg's been doing since we planted him in the orchard?"

"Wait, you named a tree?" Doris asked.

"I'm not anxious to get there," Vegeta said. "This train's just a little crowded, that's all."

_He's not fooling anyone,_ Isaac thought. _He's getting really impatient._

"Speaking of how things are going in Apploosa, I wonder how things are between the Apploosans and the Buffalo Tribe?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"So now there's talking buffalo?" Goku asked. "Geez, is there anything in this world that doesn't talk besides Fluttershy's critters?"

"Those wolves in the Everfree," Isaac replied. He shuddered as he remembered the acrid scent of the timber wolves' breath, the sickly green glow of their demonic eyes. If it weren't for Applejack, he and Doris wouldn't have survived.

"What I really want to know is why we have to go out into the desert?" Doris asked. "I don't mean to sound rude, Applejack, but couldn't they have built their town a bit closer to Ponyville? Or at least near a body of water?"

"Well, that area, belive it or not, has some of the most fertile soil in all of Equestria," Applejack replied. "Perfect for growing an apple orchard. It took 'em about a year to build the town, and then there was that whole misunderstanding with the Buffalo Tribe - it's a long story."

"Well, we got time," Goku said. "Let's hear it."

"It was about a year and a half ago," Applejack said. "We were on our way to Apploosa to transplant Bloomberg - "

"But seriously, why name your tree?" Doris asked. Applejack cleared her throat, clearly annoyed that Doris had interrupted her. "Oh, sorry. Keep going, Applejack."

"As I was saying," Applejack continued. "We were on our way to Apploosa to transplant Bloomberg when our train got attacked by a herd of buffalo. They took Braeburn to keep us from planting him in the town's orchard. See, the buffalo were a bit sour with the Apploosans because their orchard impeded on the buffalos' stampede trail. We tried to get both sides to make a compromise, but nopony was gonna hear any of it. It nearly culminated into a full-blown war between the Apploosans and the Buffalo Tribe." She turned to Pinkie Pie. "And if there's another misunderstandin' between the two sides this time, you ain't singin', got it?"

"My lips are sealed," Pinkie Pie said. She pressed her hoof against her mouth, made a digging motion on the floor, and drew an outline of a house.

"What - what was that?" Isaac asked.

"That was me promising to keep my lips sealed from singing this time," Pinkie replied. "Why do you think I locked my lips, dug a hole, buried the key, built a house over the hole that I buried the key in, and moved into the house?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "When are you going to start making sense?" he growled.

"Vegeta, this is Pinkie Pie you're talking to," Isaac said. "After a while, you'll learn not to question her."

Vegeta crossed his arms and finally sat down. He leaned his head back against the seat. "Just wake me when we get there."

######################################

He stood atop the hill, watching the small town burn. It was the fifth town he and his band had ransacked in the last week. The flames cast an eerie red glow as Celestia's sun drifted below the horizon and Luna's moon began to grace the sky. He could hear the screams of ponies as they rushed to put out the fires, or were subsequently caught by the flames. Not that he enjoyed innocent lives being lost; he _did_ enjoy the act of setting things ablaze. There was something about the sounds of a fire that filled his heart with joy.

If he were an Earth Pony or a Pegasus he would have had difficulty starting a fire, but as a unicorn, he could simply use his magic. In his mind, magic was what made unicorns superior to all other ponies, minus the Alicorn Princesses of course. Earth ponies, pegasi - they were inferior to unicorns. He would freely admit that both pony races were necessary for the survival of Equestria - earth ponies grew the food, and pegasi controlled the weather, but compared to unicorns, they were nothing.

_We unicorns are the ultimate pony race. The master race, as it were. What do the other races have that a unicorn simply cannot conjur up with magic? Nothing. Magic is the ultimate power, and as Celestia as my witness, I'll show all of Equestria the might of the unicorns._

"What now, Billy?"

He turned to his band, a group of seven earth ponies that he led. They'd travelled throughout the Great Desert, ransacking towns and villages of both pony and buffalo alike. Anyone who stood in their way was taken out.

He walked over to his band, all of whom slowly backed away as he got closer. They knew better than to stand in his way, no matter what.

"I'll tell you what we're gonna do now, boys," he said. "We're gonna go to Apploosa. From what I hear, they've got the best apples in the Great Desert - heck, the _only_ apples in the desert. We'll go to Apploosa, get ourselves some of those tasty apples, and if anypony tries to stop us, well...You know." He ran a hoof across his neck in a slicing motion. "And after we get what we need, I'll burn the town."

"Why do we burn every town we go to?" another pony asked.

Billy the Foal turned to the pony, his eyes burning with anger. His short temper was well-known amongst the gang, and everypony did their best not to anger him. Even so, that didn't stop Billy from lashing out at them. It was how he controlled his gang - through fear.

His horn started to glow a deep blue, and the earth pony felt his windpipe getting more and more constricted, his breath only coming out in small squeaks and hisses as his neck, like Billy's horn, began to glow the same deep blue.

"I thought you would have learned by now not to question me," Billy hissed. He magically tightened his grip on the other pony's throat, saw the other pony's face begin to turn blue thanks to a lack of oxygen. "We burn the towns to keep ponies from ratting on us! Just like I did with your home town. In fact, the only reason I let you live this long is because you swore your loyalty to me."

"Okay, Billy. That's enough," another pony said. "You're going to kill him."

Billy released the other pony as the glow surrounding his horn faded away. He walked over to the other pony, who was gasping for air. A swift kick from Billy's front hoof sent a spray of blood spewing from the downed pony's mouth.

"That's your only warning," Billy hissed. He turned to the other ponies in the gang. "That's the only warning for any of you." He turned to face the east. "Apploosa's about a day's gallop away. Let's get moving, boys."

The eight ponies galloped off into the sunset, leaving the smoldering remains of the town behind them.

######################################

The first thing Isaac noticed when he got off of the train was the heat. The air was so dry it was hard for him to breathe for a moment. Granted, he and Doris had been in the desert before, but that was back in their world, with skies covered in clouds of pollution and acid rain. But here, under the unforgiving gaze of the mid-morning sun; he could feel sweat droplets forming on his forehead almost instantly.

"Geez, how do they do it?"

"They've just been acclimated to the heat, that's all," Twilight said. She turned to Applejack. "Speaking of which, where's - "

Before she could finish, a tall stallion came running up the platform towards them. He was a light shade of yellow - slightly darker than Fluttershy - with a bright orange mane. He wore a brown leather vest and a cowboy hat, similar to Applejack's but not quite as tattered, and there was a Cutie Mark of a single red apple on his flank.

"Applejack!" he called out with a cowboy accent in his voice. "I was wondering when you'd show up, cuz." He turned his attention to the humans. "So, these the human you told me about, huh? Where's the - "

"There are no giant alien robots," Isaac quickly said. "Seriously, why do ponies always ask that?"

Applejack put a hoof around the stallion's shoulders. "Isaac, Doris, Goku, Vegeta, meet my cousin Braeburn."

"And let me be the first to welcome you to AAAAAAAAAploosa!" Braeburn said, rearing up on his back legs for a brief moment as he finished his sentence. He put his front hooves back on the ground and turned to Applejack. "Come on, cuz. How about I treat you and your compadres to some lunch? The saloon's got a special on waldorf salad and our famous Appleoosa apple cider."

"Oh, good," Goku said. "I was getting hungry."

"Kakarot, when aren't you hungry?" Vegeta asked.

They followed Braeburn off the platform and into town, which was built like a traditional old west town. The streets were lined with hotels and houses; there was a stable, but instead of being occupied with horses, it was occupied with carriages and carts - _No surprise there,_ Isaac thought. There was a bookstore, a general store, a courthouse, the sherrif's office, and right next to that, the saloon.

"Here we are," Braeburn said. He pushed the swinging doors open. The sound of a piano tune filled their ears as they stepped into the building. The sweet scent of salt and apple cider filled their nostrils. Braeburn led them up to the bar. They all sat down on the barstools. "Afternoon, bartender. We'd like eleven orders of waldorf salad and apple cider, if ya don't mind."

"You got it, Braeburn," the bartender pony said.

Another pony stepped up to the bar. He was an older pony, with a coffee-colored fur coat and a thick black moustache. He wore a black ten-gallon hat, a red bandanna around his neck, and a denim jacket adorned with a silver sherrif's badge; the same badge was also his Cutie Mark.

"Well howdy, Sherrif Silver Star," Braeburn said. "Nice day, ain't it?"

"Not for the ponies of Buckington, it ain't," Sherrif Silver Star said.

"Why? What happened?" Applejack asked. "Sandstorm?"

"No, Miss Applejack," Silver Star replied. "Billy the Foal."

"Who?" Applejack asked. "Ain't never heard of no Billy the Foal."

"Oh, be lucky you haven't, Miss Applejack," the sherrif said. "Billy the Foal's only the roughest, toughest, most dangerous unicorn to roam the Great Desert. He considers himself higher than earth ponies and pegasi because of his magic, even though he runs with a posse of earth ponies. They've been going all over the desert, ransacking town after town and burning the towns afterwards."

"So let me get this straight," Isaac said. "This unicorn and his gang have been stealing from and then burning towns. Robbery and arson - in my world, that's two serious crimes against him, and if any ponies have been killed during these attacks, then that adds murder to his rap sheet."

"Sadly, sonny, quite a few ponies have died because of Billy the Foal," Silver Star replied. "And not just ponies; his posse has even gotten some buffalo too. Chief Thunderhooves ain't too happy about that, I can tell you that much. He's been getting his tribe ready for a fight."

"And you're not?" Vegeta asked. "If this unicorn is really as bad as you say, then why aren't _you_ preparing for battle?"

"Honestly, Vegeta, can't you think of something other than fighting?" Rarity asked. She turned to Silver Star. "Never mind him, Sherrif."

"No, I'm afrad that the human's right," Silver Star said. "The most we've got is someone watching out for Billy and his posse, but other than that, we haven't really come up with any sort of plan."

The doors to the saloon swung open as a young stallion ran into the building, breathing heavily, his fur glistening with sweat - he'd obviously been running for quite a while.

"Woodbury, what's the matter?" Braeburn asked.

The pony, Woodbury, took a moment to catch his breath. "Sherrif, Billy the Foal...right outside...of town...posse coming...be here...any moment."

Sherrif Silver Star's eyes went wide with worry. "Oh, buck." He jumped down from his stool. "Everypony stay inside! I'll take care of this." He made his way outside and stood in the middle of the street.

The streets were barren of ponies - they were all watching from inside their homes, the hotel windows, the saloon, the stores, as a cloud of a stampede closed in on the town. Sherrif Silver Star squinted his eyes against the beating sun, blinked as sweat dripped down from his forehead and into his eyes, watched with a great intensity as the stampede cloud got closer.

Eight ponies, one unicorn and seven earth ponies, galloped into town, down the street, skidding to a stop just in front of Sherrif Silver Star.

The unicorn - a brown unicorn wearing a tattered denim vest and deep set, scowling eyes - stepped forward.

"So you must be Sherrif Silver Star."

"And I reckon y'all are Billy the Foal. Well, you and your posse ain't welcome here, so just turn flank and go back the way you came."

"Listen, Sherrif," Billy said, his voice getting angrier and angrier as he spoke. "All we want is some refreshments - apples and cider. If you cooperate, I might consider sparing your town from the hellfire that befell Buckington."

"There were a lot of good ponies in that town," Silver Star growled. "Quite a few of whom I'm sure your fires killed. So if you won't turn around and leave, then I'll give you this one chance to turn yourselves in."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Sherrif," Billy said. He walked towards Silver Star, only stopping when his face was less than an inch from the sherrif's. "I'm afraid I'm severly allergic to the gallows." His horn began to glow a deep blue. He fired a magical beam out of his horn. The beam hit Silver Star in the face, sending him flying back. He landed hard on the ground and skidded to a stop, blood oozing from his nose and mouth.

"Sherrif!" Braeburn hurried out of the saloon, followed closely by Applejack.

Billy scoffed. "Heroes. My favorite." He prepared to fire up his horn again as Braeburn skidded to a stop next to Silver Star.

Applejack stepped between Billy and Braeburn. She planted her four feet on the ground, putting herself in a defensive position as she glared at Billy. "Oh no you don't!"

Billy deactivated his magic. "What the buck do you think you're doing, girl? Move aside."

"No way, no how!" Applejack snapped. "I ain't letting you lay one hoof on my cousin or the sherrif!"

Billy smiled at Applejack. "You know, you're actually kind of cute, for an earth pony. So I'll give you one chance to get out of my way. I'd hate to have to hurt a cutie like you."

"I already told you," Applejack hissed as she stomped a hoof on the ground. "I...ain't...budgin'!"

Billy's smile faded, giving way to his angry scowl. "Suit yourself, earth pony. You want to die a hero? Then we'll do this the traditional way. Right here, tomorrow at noon exactly. Don't chicken out."

"An Apple _never_ backs down from a challenge," Applejack cried. "I'll meet you here, Billy. And when I'm done with you, I don't wanna see you or your posse in Apploosa ever again!"

"The same to you, little Apple," Billy said. "Assuming I leave you alive." He turned to his posse. "Come on, boys. Let's get the buck outta here." The eight ponies galloped out of town, leaving Applejack staring after them, her anger rising by the second.

################################

"Applejack, how the hell could you agree to that asshole's terms?" Isaac asked.

They'd retreated to a hotel room for the night, the air in Apploosa heavy with anticipation for the tomorrow's events. Applejack had kept her mind focused on the next day, until they had made it to the room and Isaac broke her concentration.

"I'm sorry, Isaac. But I wasn't just gonna sit back and let him do whatever the heck he wanted, and certainly not to my cousin."

"Well, I must agree with Isaac," Rarity said. "That unicorn is a barbarian, the polar opposite of what a unicorn should be."

"I had no choice," Applejack replied. "If I didn't do something, he was gonna hurt Braeburn and Silver Star. I had no choice but to agree to a fight." She turned to Vegeta. "Vegeta, you can vouch for me, can'tcha?"

Vegeta was leaning against a wall, his arms crossed. He looked over to Applejack, noting that her face was filled with worry. Clearly, she was nervous about tomorrow.

"I can't vouch for you, Applejack," he said, "because you're doing what you think is right. Which is something I have never done in my entire life. The most I can do is offer you some advice."

"So lay it on me."

"Beat him to within an inch of his life," Vegeta said. "And when he begs for mercy, show him none. Be relentless, and after the battle, hang him up by his entrails."

"I ain't planning on killing him," Applejack said. "Just proving a point."

"Listen to me, Applejack," Vegeta growled. "This bastard doesn't care what you have to prove. He'll be back tomorrow at noon, and he's coming for blood. Your blood. So you have a choice to make, Applejack - do you die, or does he die? The choice is yours, but you damn well better fight your hardest tomorrow afternoon, because Billy the Foal won't be pulling his punches just because you're a mare."

"Vegeta, you're not really suggesting that Applejack would kill Billy, are you?" Rarity asked.

"I wouldn't want to," Applejack replied. "I mean - yeah, I'll fight my hardest, but I'm hoping he surrenders." She turned to Twilight. "You got any tips for fighting a unicorn, Twi?"

"I'm sorry, Applejack," Twilight said. "All I can say is, avoid his magic as best as you can say is, avoid his magic as best as you can and try to keep the fighting up close. Granted, he'd still be able to use his magic, but not as well. But Applejack, don't you think you should get some rest for tomorrow?"

"I ain't gonna be able to sleep," Applejack answered. "This fight is just nagging at me. I'll probably be up all night thinking about it. Y'all go on to bed. I have to focus for tomorrow."

Doris put a hand on Applejack's back. "Well, Applejack...Good luck."

"Yeah, go out there tomorrow and kick that guy's flank from here to the Griffon Kingdom," Rainbow Dash said.

Applejack watched as her friends, pony and human alike, left the room, heading to their own rooms. She was alone now, alone with her thoughts.

She rested her chin against the windowsill and wondered just what in Equestria she had gotten herself into.

#########################################

Billy took aim at the rock. He concentrated, powered up his horn, and fired a beam of magic, obliterating the rock.

"Blown into tiny pieces. Just like that earth pony will be tomorrow."

"Too bad about that, boss," one of his posse said.

Billy looked over his shoulder at the pony. "What?"

"I"m just saying, boss, she was cute. You said so yourself."

Billy turned to face his posse. "Well then, boys, you can have whatever's left of her. That is, of course, if I haven't left her a bloody mess." He fired up his horn again, its dark blue glow illuminating the area around him. "Yup, tomorrow's gonna be a good day, boys. I can feel it in my bones." He stomped a hoof on the ground. "That mare is gonna regret taking on Billy the Foal."

"She sure is boss. You ain't lost one fight yet."

"No, I haven't. Not even when I was still just a colt. They used to call me the 'Indestructible Colt of Fillydelphia'. Heck, even all the way to Las Pegasus, my name was known. That mare doesn't know that she's going up against a stallion whose record is perfect in terms of victories over losses. And like I said, she's going to regret it.

_I want to tear a big hole in what is to be,  
To end all this infatuation with unity,  
I'm seeking my salvation alone again,  
I never needed to be one of you anyway  
Don't wanna be another player losing in this game  
I'm trying to impress upon you  
We're not the same  
My own individuality is so unique,  
I'm one impressive motherbucker  
Now, wouldn't you say_

Break apart and  
Divide, divide, divide, divide  
You might say that I'm the last colt standing now,  
And though she'll try, she'll never find a way to break me  
You might say that I'm sick of being lost in the crowd,  
I hear the sirens but they're never gonna take me

I am a little more provocative then you might need,  
It's her shock and then her horror on which I'll feed  
So can you tell me what exactly does freedom mean,  
If I'm not free to be as twisted as I wanna be  
Don't wanna be another player losing in this game  
I'm trying to impress upon you  
We're not the same  
My psychotic mentality is so unique  
I'm one aggressive motherbucker  
Now, wouldn't you say

Break apart and  
Divide, divide, divide, divide  
You might say that I'm the last colt standing now,  
And though she'll try, she'll never find a way to break me  
You might say that I'm sick of being lost in the crowd,  
I hear the sirens but they're never gonna take me

She won't beat me!

Break, break, break, break  
Break apart and divide  
Break, break, break, break  
Break apart and divide  
Break, break, break, break  
Break apart and divide  
Break, break, break, break  
Break apart and divide, divide, divide  
Break apart and...

Divide, divide, divide, divide  
Divide, divide, break apart and divide  
Divide, divide, divide, divide  
Divide, divide, break apart and

Divide, divide, divide, divide you might say that I'm the last colt standing now  
Divide, divide, break apart and divide

Divide, divide, divide, divide and though she try, she'll never find a way to break me  
Divide, divide Divide Divide!"

He turned around to stare out into the night, Luna's bright moon and stars shining down on all of Equestria. "That little mare thinks she's some kind of hero. Well tomorrow, she'll find out just _why_ nopony plays the hero."

################################

The streets of Apploosa were barren, the only signs of life being the bugs and lizards crawling in the dirt. Applejack stood on the porch of the hotel. She could feel and hear her heart pounding in her chest, and her stomach felt like it was tied into a hundred knots; she'd never been so nervous, not even during her first ever rodeo when she was barely Apple Bloom's age.

She kept her gaze on the east side of town, knowing that Billy would be here at any moment. A quick glance up at the clock tower told her that it was ten minutes until noon. Looking at the time, Applejack found herself wishing that she'd gotten some sleep last night; on top of her nervousness, she was also tired, staying awake the entire night focusing on the fight that was about to commence.

"You're going to be fine, cousin," Braeburn said. "Just go out there and do your best, y'hear?"

"That's really all I can do, Braeburn," Applejack replied. "And yes, Vegeta, I know - no mercy."

"Like I said, beat him to within an inch of his life," Vegeta said, pounding a fist into his hand.

"I ain't looking to kill the guy, just to prove a point that not everypony in the desert settlements is afraid of him. But I can't help but be a might nervous."

"That's only natural," Goku said. "Everybody's nervous in their first fight. But I'm sure you'll do just fine, Applejack."

"We're all rooting for you, Jackie," Doris said with a smile.

Applejack smiled back at her. "Thanks, sugar cube."

"Here he comes!"

Applejack turned her attention back down the street, saw Billy and his posse making their way down the dirt road. Billy's face was once again contorted into an angry scowl, a look that conveyed his intentions - a look of pure murder.

Applejack took a deep breath. "Well, here I go y'all. Wish me luck. I'll need it."

She stepped out onto the street and turned to face Billy. Billy kept walking towards her, even as his posse hung back. He stopped about twenty feet away from Applejack. A wicked smile crossed his face, and he licked his lips.

"You know, Apple, I did some thinking last night," he said. "And I realized - we really don't have to fight."

"We don't?" Applejack asked, confused.

"No."

"And just why the hay not? This is what you wanted, isn't it?"

"Well, at first, but like I said, I did some thinking. I was thinking - behind every strong stallion is a strong mare. And it's clear that you are very, very strong. So, I'll give you an offer. Join my posse, and I'll spare this little one-horse desert town."

"Nothing doing, Billy," Applejack said. "I'd rather be a carnivore."

There was a collective gasp from every pony in the vicinity; even Billy was visibly taken aback by Applejack's response.

"You - you would rather be a flesh-eater? An abomination to all pony kind?"

"That's right; I'd rather commit the worst taboo a pony can than join your murderous band of thugs."

Billy growled, baring his teeth. His horn began to glow as he fired up his magic.

"Fine the, earth pony," he hissed through gritted teeth. "Draw." He fired a beam of magic at Applejack.

Applejack quickly dove out of the way, the magic beam burning a hole in the ground where she'd been standing less than a second ago. She climbed to her feet and charged at Billy, lowering her head and slamming into his chest. Billy let out a muffled "OOF!" as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. He landed hard on his side.

Applejack reared up onto her back legs and brought her front legs down on Billy's chest as hard as she could. Billy cried out in pain as Applejack's hooves slammed down against his chest. He kicked Applejack away and crawled back to his feet, firing up his horn and shooting a beam of magic at Applejack again.

This time, Applejack wasn't able to dodge. The magic beam slammed into her, racking her body with a fiery pain as it pushed her back. She hit the beam of a nearby porch, heard and felt a rib crash as she fell to the ground.

"Applejack! Get up!" Twilight cried. "You have to get up!"

Applejack slowly climbed to her feet, moving slowly as the pain travelled through her body.

"I don't think so," Billy said, and he kicked Applejack in the face with his rear legs, cracking her lips and drawing blood from her nose and mouth.

Applejack fell to the ground again, her breath coming in shallow gasps as she tried to null the pain spreading throughout her body. She slowly stood up, placing her four legs underneath her body.

"I see you're still not ready to give up yet," Billy said. "That's fine. You wouldn't be the first pony I've killed."

Applejack spit the blood out of her mouth. "I don't plan on dying today, partner," she said. She spun around, raised her rear legs, and kicked Billy in the face, hard. There was a wet _snap_ as the bones in Billy's nose shattered, spewing blood all over his face.

"Gah! You little - " He fired up his horn again and shot another magic beam at Applejack.

Applejack quickly dove out of the way. She landed hard on her belly, and a new wave of pain shot through her body from her cracked ribs.

_Gotta ignore the pain, Applejack_, she mentally told herself as she stood up. _Gotta finish this fight, one way or another._

She charged at Billy again. Billy rushed at her, meeting her charge. He lowered his head, brandishing his horn, intent on goring Applejack.

Applejack skid to a stop, spun around, raised her rear legs again, and again, kicked Billy in the face, her right hoof slamming into his eye -

Her left hoof hitting his horn, breaking it off of his head!

Billy's scream of pain rattled the windows. Blood poured from the stump that was once his horn.

"My horn! You've broken my horn!"

Even Twilight and Rarity had to wince at that. "Ouch," Twilight whispered.

"That looks awfully painful," Rarity said.

"It sure does," Twilight replied. "I mean, I know a unicorn's horn can be broken if hit with enough force, but I've never actually seen it happen."

Applejack bucked Billy again, knocking him to the ground. He tried to stand up, but Applejack put a hoof on his face, pinning him in the dirt.

"Surrender!" Billy hissed at her, even as he continued to lose blood. "I said, give up - NOW!"

Billy glared at Applejack for a moment, then relaxed. "Fine," he whispered. "You win." He closed his eyes as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Applejack stepped away from Billy, looking down at his inert form, even as the entire town was chanting her name. She was barely aware of Sherrif Silver Star and his deputies rounding up Billy and his posse, barely aware of her friends gathering around her and congratulating her as her vision went dark.

####################################

_"Applejack? Applejack?"_

_ Applejack looked around in the darkness, barely able to make out the voice. It sounded familiar, yet also not. It was like a voice she'd heard in a dream from long ago._

_ "Hello? Who's there? Come on, show yourself. I ain't scared of you. Oh, who am I kidding, I'm pretty scared right now."_

_ Something moved._

_ Applejack squinted, trying to see in the darkness, barely making out the form of another pony._

_ "Twilight? Is that you? Rarity? Rainbow Dash? Fluttershy? Pinkie Pie?"_

_ Two forms stepped out of the darkness, two ponies that Applejack recognized. One was a stallion, tall and strong, like Big Macintosh, with dark red fur, a bright yellow mane, and with a Cutie Mark that resembled a cider press. The other was a mare, with yellow fur and hair, and her Cutie Mark was a bottle of apple juice._

_ Applejack's breath caught in her throat as she looked at these two ponies, her heart pounding in her chest as she realized that she was looking at her mother and father._

_ Applejack galloped towards the two ponies, tears flowing from her eyes as she hugged them close._

_ "Ma! Pa! I thought I'd never see you again!"_

_ "It's good to see you too, you little apple seed," her father said. "Well, not so much a seed anymore."_

_ "We've missed you, Applejack," her mother said._

_ "I've missed you too," Applejack weeped. She wiped her eyes with her foreleg. "It's just that, after the accident, things around Sweet Apple Acres weren't the same for a long time."_

_ "And it won't be the same without you, Applejack," her mother said._

_ "What - what do you mean, Ma?"_

_ "We watched you fight that Billy the Foal," her father said. "That took guts, kid. Granted, you took a few scrapes yourself - "_

_ "The point is, sugar cube, it's not your time yet."_

_ "I don't - I don't understand. Are you saying that I'm dead?"_

_ "No, not dead," her mother replied. "Right now you're - how do I put it? Not dead, but not exactly alive either."_

_ "Good gravy, Ma, just what the hay does that mean?"_

_ Her mother nuzzled her with her snout. Her father joined in a second later. Applejack felt the tears coming back to her eyes._

_ "Y'all are leaving again, aint' ya?"_

_ "I'm afraid we have to, Jackie," her father said._

_ "But don't worry about us, sugar cube," her mother said. "We'll always be with you." She put her hoof on Applejack's chest. "In here."_

_ "I know, Ma," Applejack said. "I know. I'll give your love to Big Mac, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith." Her parents began to fade away. Applejack galloped after them. "Ma! Pa!" They disappeared into the darkness. "I - I love you."_

_ For the longest time, Applejack didn't move; she just stood where she was, tears flowing down her face, knowing that this was the last time she would ever get to see her mother and father ever again._

_ The darkness began to fade away, giving way to a bright, blinding light -_

######################################

"Hey, it looks like she's coming around."

Applejack coughed as she opened her eyes. She was still in the middle of the street, still lying on the ground.

She spat. "Yuck! What in the name of all things cinnamon swirl did y'all feed me while I was out?"

"Goku gave you a magic bean," Pinkie Pie replied. "Though from your reaction, I don't think it tasted very good."

Applejack rubbed her tongue with her front hooves. "No, it don't. Tastes like...well, I don't know what it tastes like, but it sure is nasty." She flexed her muscles. "Sure do feel a might better though. No pain, no blood - I'm guessing that magic bean fixed me right up."

"That's what a Senzu bean does," Goku replied. "By the way, nice job kicking that other guy's butt."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "I don't think I've ever seen you fight like that."

"And honestly, darling," Rarity added, "I hope you _never_ have to fight like that again." She looked over towards the sherrif's office. "I certainly hope that he's alright."

"You're actually worried about that jerk?" Doris asked. "If you ask me, he deserved the ass-kicking he recieved."

"Look, y'all, I really didn't want to fight him, I was just doing what I thought was right," Applejack said.

"If by that you mean shattering his nose, splitting his lip, breaking his ribs, giving him a black eye, and breaking off his horn," Twilight said.

Applejack rubbed the top of her head. "Ouch."

"It did look very painful," Fluttershy said.

"But you won!" Pinkie Pie cheered, happily bouncing up and down. "Ooh, think we should throw a party for her?"

Applejack shook her head. "We ain't got the time, Pinkie Pie," she said. "We got so caught up in the fight that we forgot the reason we came here. The Dragon Balls, remember?"

"Hold on, cuz," Braeburn said. "You're looking for a dragon's what now?"

Isaac rolled his eyes. "Why do ponies always assume that?" He took the Four-Star Dragon Ball out of his pocket. "We're looking for these things; we've got five, and we only need the last two. Have you seen them?"

Braeburn studied the Dragon Ball closely. "Nope. Can't say as I have. Sorry."

"But Trixie said we'd find a Dragon Ball in Apploosa," Twilight said.

Isaac put the Dragon Ball back into his pocket. "You think she lied?"

"I don't know," Twilight replied. She turned back to Braeburn. "Do you know of anypony else who may have?"

"Not-a one," Braeburn said. "And I know the Buffalo Tribe ain't seen them; Little Strong Heart would have told me so."

Twilight sighed. "Oh well. Thanks anyway, Braeburn."

"Wait just a god damn minute," Vegeta said. "You mean to tell me we came all the way out here to this hick town in the middle of nowhere for NOTHING?!"

"Not for nothing, Vegeta," Goku replied. "Applejack saved the town. That should amount to something, right?"

Vegeta crossed his arms. "Minor sidetrack. We've still got to find that Dragon Ball."

"Well, I know of a place we can check," Twilight said. "Besides, I haven't seen Cadance or my brother since the Transformers were here."

"You mean the Crystal Empire, right?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yup. Come on, everypony. Let's go to the station and get out tickets."

Applejack watched her friends walk off, heading for the train station. She didn't move, not for a long time. She looked up to the sky, and smiled.

_Ma, Pa, I know y'all are up there. I'll be thinking about you, everyday.  
_


	21. The Crystal Empire

THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE

ISAAC SHIVERED SLIGHTLY AS THE TRAIN ROLLED DOWN THE TRACKS, THE snow outside falling heavily. Even his jacket and the heat of the train car couldn't keep him from feeling the cold.

"This Crystal Empire is all the way up north?" he asked. "God, this place must be pretty damn cold."

"Why are you shivering?" Twilight asked. "You're wearing a jacket."

"Doesn't mean I'm still not cold," Isaac replied. "But it's not like the six of you have anything to worry about, what with your fur coats. Not to mention Rarity with that scarf."

"Well, you didn't expect me to come unprepared, did you?" Rarity asked as she tied a pink and white scarf around her neck.

"Yeah, that'll keep you nice and warm in a blizzard," Doris said. She looked out a window. "How far out is this empire?"

"We should be there in about three hours," Twilight replied. "Trust me, you guys, you'll love the Crystal Empire."

"Yeah, you said the same thing about Apploosa, and look what happened," Isaac said. He shivered again. "Why'd they have to build this place so far up north?"

"Nopony really knows," Twilight said. "But I guess that's why King Sombra took it over a thousand years ago; the Empire's seclusion meant there wouldn't be any outside interference."

"Wait, what?" Goku asked.

"Oh, we never told you about that," Twilight said. "Do you want the long version or the short version?"

"Give us the short version and get it over with," Vegeta said as he leaned against a nearby wall, his arms crossed. "It's not like it really matters to us anyway."

"Well, King Sombra was an evil unicorn king who took over the Crystal Empire a thousand years ago," Twilight said. "Luna and Celestia managed to defeat him, but just barely - they could only turn him into a shadow form and banish him into the arctic ice. But he managed to get out about a year ago; that's where we come in. Celestia asked us to help my brother and his wife Cadance bring some light to the Empire to keep Sombra out. Long story short, we did just that, resulting in the death of King Sombra."

Vegeta started laughing. "You six, killing a king? _That_ I find hard to believe."

"Why?" Isaac asked.

"Well, we didn't actually kill him," Twilight said. "It was the light of the Crystal Ponies powering the Crystal Heart that caused him to blow up."

"I still find it unlikely," Vegeta hissed.

"Okay, let's back up a little bit," Doris said. "Twilight, did you say your brother is in the Crystal Empire?"

"Yes. Why?"

"You've said anything about having a brother," Doris replied.

"Now that I think about it, she's right," Isaac said. "You'd think you would have mentioned that before."

Twilight just smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Still, I wish I would have had time to tell him we were coming. This is really going to surprise him and Princess Cadance."

"If he's married to a princess, then doesn't that technically make him a prince?" Isaac asked.

"I guess so," Twilight replied. "Though he's still Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard as well."

The conductor opened the door. "Gather your belongings, everypony. We'll be arriving at the Crystal Empire in five minutes."

"Good thing we didn't pack a lot," Applejack said. "Once we get off the train, we got about another mile to walk before we get to the Empire."

A few minutes later, the train pulled into a station. The doors opened, and they all got off, stretching their legs after the long ride from Apploosa.

The first thing Isaac noticed was the temperature. Despite the frigid arcitc weather just a few miles away, it was surprisingly warm here. The sky was a clear blue, not a single cloud was present, and there wasn't a drop of snow on the green grass. He could see tall crystaline spires about a a mile away, just over a series of gently rolling hills. The air was fresh, even moreso than the air in Ponyville.

"Why isn't it snowing here?" Goku asked. "Do the pegasi control the weather here too?"

"Of course they do," Rainbow Dash replied. "It's just magic that keeps the arctic winds out of the Empire."

"Magic. Why am I not surprised?" Vegeta asked. He started walking. "Well, let's get this over with. The sooner we find this Dragon Ball, the better."

###############################################

It was one thing to see the crystalline spires off in the distance, but to see them this close, not to mention the crystalline city - it was beautiful. The sunlight glistened off of every crystal surface, reflections being cast all around. Even the ponies seemed to be made out of cyrstal, no doubt the reason they were called Crystal Ponies. There was a tall building in the center of the city, a crystal palace standing high above all other structures in the city, ending in a point that seemed to touch the clear blue sky. There was an archway under the palace, and in the center of the archway was a crystalline heart set between two crystal pillars - one coming up out of the floor, the other from the roof.

"Wow," he breathed. "This place, it's, it's..."

"It's gorgeous," Doris said. "And so sparkly."

"You know, when you guys said 'Crystal Empire', I was expecting them to worship some large crystal, not the entire city to be made of crystal," Isaac said. "This totally _trumps_ what I had in mind."

Twilight began hurridly walking towards the palace, her pace quickening to a trot. "Come on, you guys."

"Twilight, wait up!" Isaac called after her. "What's the rush?"

"She hasn't seen her brother or Cadance since we were last here," Rarity replied.

They hurried after Twilight, catching up to her as she neared the entrance to the palace. She pushed the doors open and galloped inside. Her hooves echoed through the crystal halls as she galloped through the castle, up a set of stairs, ending at another set of doors. She took a moment to catch her breath, even as the others finally joined her.

"You're in...quite a hurry...aren't you?" Isaac breathed.

Twilight took another deep breath. "Sorry. I guess I'm just really anxious to see them after so long." She raised a hoof and pushed the doors open. "Hello? Cadance? Shining Armor?"

They'd entered into a long room, the floor adorned with a long red carpet, much like the throne room back at Canterlot. The arched windows were open, allowing for a full view of the city. The carpet ended at a crystal throne, with two ponies standing next to it - a powder-pink alicorn, with multi-colored hair - yellow, pink, and purple - and her Cutie Mark was a crystalline heart; the other pony was a regal white unicorn, tall and proud, with blue hair and a Cutie Mark of a large red shield.

"Shining Armor! Princess Cadance!" Twilight galloped over to the other ponies. She and the female alicorn began dancing around each other.

"Sunshine, sunshine, lady bugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. _What the hell was that?_ he thought with a groan.

"Wish you would have told us beforehand that you were coming," the male unicorn said.

"Sorry, BBBFF," Twilight replied. "It was kind of a last minute thing." She turned to the others. "Come on in, guys. Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, I'd like you to meet our new human friends - Isaac, Doris, Vegeta, and Goku. Guys, this is Princess Cadance and my big brother Shining Armor. Listen, I have a question. Do either of you know where we can find a magical wishing stone called a Dragon Ball?"

"Dragon Ball?" Cadance asked. "What is that?"

"Didn't you hear her?" Vegeta asked. "She said it's a wishing stone."

"Whoa, easy Vegeta," Goku said. "You'll have to excuse my buddy here. It was a long trip. He's kind of cranky."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Kakarot - we are not buddies," Vegeta growled.

Isaac reached into his pocket and took out a Dragon Ball. He held it out for Shining Armor and Cadance to see. "This is a Dragon Ball. We've already got five; just need two more."

"Huh. I see," Shining Armor said. "And you said they can grant wishes?"

Isaac put the Dragon Ball back into his pocket. "Just one. And that's all we need. One wish."

"Putting that aside," Doris said as she walked over to a window. "This place is so beautiful. Forget about the Dragon Balls; I want to see more of this gorgeous city." She turned to Cadance and Shining Armor. "You two rule over all of this?"

"Yes we do," Cadance replied. "If you'd like, we could give you a tour."

"That'd be awesome, Princess," Doris said. "Thank you."

Vegeta let out an angry moan. "We don't have time for that. We need to find that sixth Dragon Ball."

"Take it easy, Vegeta," Rainbow Dash said. "A little walkaround would be nice. Besides, it was a pretty long train ride. We really need to stretch our legs."

"And find a restaurant," Goku added. "I'm starving."

Rainbow Dash put a hoof over her eyes. "Goku, you just ate on the train! Not even an hour ago! You can't be hungry _again_!"

"Train food isn't that good," Goku replied. Rainbow Dash just groaned in response.

Shining Armor couldn't help but chuckle. "We'd be glad to show your human friends around the Crystal Empire, Twily. Come on."

############################################

Isaac knelt down next to a small flower garden. He gently ran his hand over the flower's petals. They felt smooth, so smooth that for a moment, he wasn't even sure if it _was_ a flower, until he caught the sweet scent of nectar flowing out of the bulb.

"Even the plants here are crystalline," he said. "Plants, roads, houses, ponies - no wonder they call this place the Crystal Empire."

"It's been like this for the past year," Cadance said. "After the defeat of King Sombra."

"Yeah, Twilight and the other ponies told us about that," Doris said. She looked around at the city. "I still can't believe how beautiful this place is."

"Yeah, I know," Isaac replied. "Even before everything went to hell, you never saw a place like this."

"What do you mean by that?" Shining Armor asked.

"It's a long story," Isaac said. "And I don't feel like going into it."

Vegeta let out a low moan. "Can we just get this over with? We've got a Dragon Ball to find."

Twilight rolled her eyes. Vegeta had been like this ever since they began the tour of the Crystal Empire, and even earlier than that - almost as soon as they had left Apploosa. Despite everyone's best attempts to calm him down, he just seemed to get angrier and angrier. Maybe he was slowly letting out some pent-up aggression - after all, it had been nearly a week since his last battle, since he destroyed Discord. She'd even noticed a hint of jealousy in his eyes whenever he looked at Applejack, since she had fought Billy the Foal.

"Vegeta, can't you just relax for a little while?" she asked. "You've been like this ever since we left Apploosa."

"Well excuse me if I just want to find the Dragon Ball," Vegeta snapped. He crossed his arms and turned away from them.

Shining Armor lowered his head towards Twilight. "That human's got a bit of a temper, doesn't he?"

"You should have seen him fight Discord," Twilight replied.

They continued walking down the street. Twilight noticed the Crystal Ponies were staring at them, their eyes fixated on the four humans. She could hear some of the ponies whispering about the humans, no doubt wondering exactly what sorts of creatures they were.

_Makes sense,_ she thought. _They haven't seen humans before._ She looked back at the humans. "Oh, I just remembered - I've got to show you guys the library. Trust me, it makes the one in Canterlot look small."

"Why would we want to go to a library?" Goku asked. "It's not like we can eat the books, you know."

Twilight put a hoof against her face. "No, Goku. Pony feathers, are you _still_ hungry?"

"Well, yeah, I am."

Cadance chuckled. "Sounds like someone's got a bit of an appetite."

"A bit of an appetite?" Vegeta repeated. "This clown's always hungry. I've seen him eat fifty helpings at once, and not even ten minutes later, complain that he was starving." He scoffed. "It's disgusting."

Isaac heard and felt his stomach start to rumble. "Well, truth be told, I'm getting kind of hungry myself."

"Yeah, same here," Doris said. "You guys want to stop for some lunch?"

##########################################

There were hundreds - no, thousands - no, _millions_ of books in this library, all of them occupying shelves that stretched up to the roof, nearly a hundred feet above their heads. There were tall crystal pillars in the center of the library, and the shelves themselves were made out of crystal. Sunlight shone in through a skylight, casting a reflective glow throughout the room and bathing the building in a warm light. Their footsteps - and hoofsteps - echoed off of the floor, the walls, the roof, making just the front room of the Crystal Empire Library seem bigger than it really was. Isaac could see his reflection in the walls and floor and roof, and the room was so long that it seemed to go on forever.

Even though it was her second time being in this library, Twilight let out a little squeal of excitement when the doors opened. She was running from shelf to shelf, using her magic to take books off and levitating them above her head as she went.

"Egghead," Rainbow Dash whispered. She noticed Doris glaring at her. "What? You heard her fangirl squeal when we got here."

Twilight was now levitating thirty books over her head with her magic. "Ooh, so many books to read. So much I want to learn!"

"We don't exactly have the time for that, Twilight," Applejack said. "I know we're just looking around, but we still have to keep an eye out for that Dragon Ball, remember?"

Twilight smiled sheepishly, her cheeks turning red. "Oh, right. Guess I sort of forgot, hehe."

Vegeta facepalmed. "God damn it. Okay, that's it. If anyone needs me, I'll be looking for that Dragon Ball myself." He turned and left the library with a growl.

"Sheesh, he didn't have to get all huffy like that," Goku said.

"But I think he's right," Isaac replied. He turned to Cadance and Shining Armor. "It's a beautiful city, but we really do have to keep looking for that stone."

"I understand," Cadance said.

"We'd be glad to help if you want," Shining Armor added.

"Thanks."

They left the library - Twilight reluctantly putting the books back onto their respective shelves, being extra careful to put them back in their proper order. The sun was already starting to set, the sky's blue hue slowly being overtaken with a rich purple and orange.

"It looks like we've only got about an hour and a half to look before Princess Luna fully brings out the moon," Isaac said. "Think that's enough time?"

"Not to check the whole city, but enough time to look through this neighborhood," Doris said. "Wanna meet back at the palace later?"

"Sure." He took a Dragon Ball out of his pocket and handed it to Doris. "Just be careful, huh? Don't want to end up in another Diamond Dog situation."

"You just keep telling yourself that, Isaac," Doris snarked, a smile crossing her face.

Isaac mentally kicked himself as he remembered just how stupid he'd been that day, their second day in Equestria, showing the Dragon Ball to that Diamond Dog, who had run off with it. Granted, he'd gotten it back - and had found a second Dragon Ball in the process - but it was still a stupid move on his part.

He pushed the though aside as he walked up to the first how he saw.


	22. Changelings

CHANGELINGS

IT WAS ALREADY DARK WHEN ISAAC RETURNED TO THE PALACE. HE'D SPENT the last hour and a half knocking on doors, showing the Dragon Ball to pony after pony, all of whom had said the same thing - they'd never heard of a Dragon Ball before.

_I guess that was to be expected_, he though as he neared the doors to the palace. _As far as I can tell, the only ponies around here who have heard of a Dragon Ball before Doris and I showed up were Twilight and Princess Celestia._ He pushed the doors open. _I guess we'll just try again tomo -_

Earlier, the palace was full of life, guards at every door, tourists coming and going, but now...Nothing. No signs of life at all. And it was quiet, so quiet Isaac could actually hear the blood flowing through his veins, heard his heart beating in his chest.

"Okay, is this some kind of sick prank?" he asked, his voice echoing in the still room. "Because it's not funny." He waited a moment for a response. None came. "Whoever's bright idea this was, I'm not impressed."

He heard the sound of hooves clopping on the hard floor, every hoofstep echoing off of the crystal walls. Perhaps it was the prankster coming out to claim responsibility?

"Okay, real funny, Rainbow Dash," Isaac said. "Or was it you, Pinkie Pie? How about you come out and confess, Applejack. Unless Twilight Sparkle had something to do with this, because I doubt it was Fluttershy or Rarity."

He was expecting one of the ponies to come around the corner, but instead - He didn't know _what_ it was. It was about the size of a pony, with a similar body shape, but that was where the similarities ended. There was no fur; its skin was jet black in color. The legs were full of holes, revealing slick sinew underneath, the muscles flexing with every step the creature took. Its wings were translucent, like an insect's. A pair of fangs hung out from the corner of the creature's mouth, and its pupiless eyes were colored a sick green.

"What the hell am I looking at?"

The creature fluttered its insectoid wings, the heavy beat of their movement echoing throughout the room. It opened its mouth, let out a snake-like hiss, before charging for Isaac.

"Oh SHIT!"

Isaac quickly jumped away as the creature soared past, noting the sick scent it carried. He climbed to his feet and ran into a nearby room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Okay, what the hell was that thing? It certainly wasn't a pegasus."

He spotted something out of the corner of his eye. He looked, saw a trail of blood on the floor. Slowly, he stepped away from the door and followed the blood, which led him to the mutilated body of a pony guard, its flesh torn away from its body, revealing sick grissle and the glistening slickness of wet bone.

Isaac quickly turned away, suddenly feeling sick, and realizing that the creature outside the room had killed and partially eaten that pony.

The door buckled a bit as the creature outside slammed its body against the hard wood. Isaac stepped back, reaching down to his ankle for his knife and grabbing nothing but air.

_That's right. Vegeta blew it up when he killed Discord. Shit, if that thing gets in here, I'm screwed._ He looked around. _I need a weapon._

The door buckled again, but this time, it also began to crack. Isaac could see the creature on the other side, saw it ram its body against the door. He tensed up, raising his fists as he continued to look around, desperately trying to find _anything_ he could use to defend himself besides his bare hands.

One more buckle, and the door flew off of its hinges, splintering as it hit the hard crystal floor. The creature set its sick eyes on Isaac, hissing and fluttering its wings as it got ready to charge.

_No time to think, just do it!_

The creature charged at Isaac. Isaac dashed to the right, the creature barely missing him. It turned and lunged at him again, just as Isaac leaped into the air, extending his leg and spinning in a circle, his foot slamming into the creature's head. He heard as much as felt the sick _snap_ as the creature's neck was broken, killing it instantly. Its lifeless body flew against a nearby wall, breaking even more bones as it fell to the floor with a solid _thump_.

Isaac slowly walked over to the creature, taking slow, careful steps, just in case it turned out that the creature was playing possum. He reached out and poked at it with a finger. The creature's skin felt dry and crusty, and it smelled like moldy bread.

"Seriously, what _is_ this thing?"

A loud scream echoed through the palace. Isaac quickly stood up straight and looked around, even as the last of the scream's echoes faded away.

"That sounded like Fluttershy. It was coming from the throne room!" He left the dead creature behind as he sprinted out of the room, running towards the stairs, taking them four at a time as he hurried to get to the throne room.

################################################## #######

Isaac finally made it to the doors leading to the throne room. He took a moment to catch his breath before he pushed the doors open.

It looked like a scene from an alien invasion. Cadance was stuck in place thanks to some green goo on her hooves; her horn and wings were covered in the same goo. Everyone else was stuck to the wall with the same goo, struggling to get free.

Isaac hurried over to Cadance and began to tear the goo off of her wings. "What the hell happened here?"

"Isaac!" Twilight cried. "Watch out!"

Before Isaac could respond, he felt something hard hit him in the back, knocking him to the floor. He climbed to his feet and turned around, raising his fists and bending his knees, only to come face to face with another creature like the one he'd encountered downstairs, but this one was different. It was about the same size as Princess Celestia, with a twisted unicorn horn atop her head. The wings were much larger than the other creature's, and its mane and tail were a lifeless teal in color.

"Okay, what the hell are these things?"

"I wasssn't expecting another human," the creature said, its voice hissing.

"Answer me, damn it."

"I sssuppossse I could tell you, sssinccce you're all going to die anyway. My name isss Chrysssalisss, queen of the changelingsss."

"Changelings? That's like one step below a succubus. What are you doing with my friends?"

"Your friendsss and I have a hissstory together," Chrysalis said. "And to ssspare you the detailsss, it all comesss down to one thing and one thing only." She set her sick green eyes on Cadance. "Revenge."

"Well, I don't care what sort of history you have with Cadance or the other ponies," Isaac hissed. "But if you don't set them free I'll tear you apart."

"Oh, I highly doubt that, human," Chrysalis said. She lowered her horn towards Isaac, shooting out a blast of green goo that caused him to stick to the wall. He struggled, trying to move his arms and legs, but that just seemed to get him even more stuck. "Ssstruggle all you want, you won't get free." She walked over to Cadance, who - despite being stuck where she was - cowered in fear as Chrysalis got closer and bared her fangs. "Now, if you don't mind -"

"Wait!" Isaac yelled. "How the hell did you get in here? Last I looked, this place was heavily guarded."

"That, my boy, isss the beauty of a changeling," Chrysalis replied. "We could be anyone, anywhere, and you would never no it, until it'sss too late."

"You had your minions in the ranks of the Crystal Empire Guard ever since your first defeat, didn't you?" Shining Armor snapped.

"Very obssservant, Shining Armor. To be honessst, I'm sssurprisssed it took you thisss long to noticcce." She gestured to the nearby window. "Any moment now, my changeling army will fully reveal themssselvesss to thisss cccity, and the feassst will begin!" She turned to Cadance again. "And the sssignal, isss the first drop of your blood ssspilled." She opened her mouth, baring her fangs, and lowered her mouth towards Cadance's exposed neck.

###############################################

Twilight struggled against the gooey substance as she watched, helplessly, as Chrysalis lowered her fangs towards Cadance's neck. Cadance was in no position to fight back, not with her hooves stuck to the floor and her magic inaccessible thanks to Chrysalis sealing Cadance's horn.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as Chrysalis's fangs got closer to Cadance's flesh.

_No._ She struggled harder against her bonds. _I can't let Cadance die. I won't let Cadance die. I _refuse_ to let Cadance die!_

She pulled against her bonds with all her might, finally freeing herself from the wall. She fell to the floor, planting all four feet down on the hard surface, catching Chrysalis's attention. Twilight pawed at the floor with a hoof and snorted, before shouting at the top of her lungs:

"_**GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU BITCH!**_"

"Twilight, have you lost it?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Chrysalis will tear you to shreds!"

Twilight wasn't listening; she charged at Chrysalis, slamming into her and throwing her to the ground. She reared up and brought her front hooves down onto Chrysalis's chest - once, twice, three times, the third time causing Chrysalis to cough up a few drops of green blood.

Chrysalis used her wings to throw Twilight off of her. Twilight tumbled through the air, twisting her body and landing on all four feet again. She pawed at the ground, ready to charge a second time, lowering her horn as she did.

She galloped towards Chrysalis, who quickly jumped out of the way. Twilight leaped off of the wall to compensate and continued her charge, her horn finding its mark and digging into Chrysalis's abdomen. She shoved her horn deeper and deeper into Chrysalis's flesh, not caring about the green blood that was oozing into her eyes, blinding her. She was already blind anyway, blind with fury.

Chrysalis raised her hind leg and kicked Twilight in the face, knocking her back. Twilight shook her head, flinging blood in all directions as she and Chrysalis stared at each other, both pawing at the ground, both snorting.

"You've jussst sssealed your own fate, my little pony." She winced as more blood continued to ooze from the hole in her side.

Twilight and Chrysalis charged at each other. As they neared each other, Twilight turned around, raising her back legs and bucking Chrysalis in the chest, knocking her to the ground. Twilight again reared up and stomped her front feet down onto Chrysalis's chest. As she brought her front feet down again, Chrysalis rolled out of the way, and as soon as Twilight's hooves connected with the ground, Chrysalis opened her mouth and dug her fangs into Twilight's flesh.

Twilight cried out in pain as she felt Chrysalis's fangs tear into her skin, her muscle, puncturing her veins and arteries. She stomped down on Chrysalis's face with her free hoof, causing Chrysalis to release her grip on Twilight's leg. Her lavender fur was now stained with red blood oozing out of four puncture holes. She held her leg off the ground, managing to balance herself with three legs as she fired up her unicorn magic.

Chrysalis's own horn began to glow. "You realize, of courssse, that you will die?"

"Shut up," Twilight hissed. "Shut up, Shut Up, SHUT UP!" She fired a beam of magic at Chrysalis. Chrysalis fired her own beam of magic; both beams met in the middle as both magic users began a desperate struggle to gain the upper hand.

########################################

Goku and Vegeta were making their way back to the palace when they saw the flashing coming from the windows of the throne room, heard the screaming and yelling of a battle. They channeled their energy and flew up to the windows, ready to fight.

"What the - ?" Vegeta breathed.

"Looks like we missed the party," Goku said.

Twilight Sparkle, engaged in a magic struggle with some black alicorn creature, both combatants bloody and bruised - Twilight's horn was covered in drying green blood, which had oozed into her eyes, her snout was bloody, and her right front leg was bleeding from four puncture wounds; the alicorn creature had a trickle of green blood coming out of the corner of its mouth mixed with red blood, most likely from Twilight's leg, and there was a small hole in its side, which was still oozing blood, clearly where Twilight had gored the creature.

Twilight and Chrysalis kept eye contact as they struggled, neither willing to back down. Even so, Twilight could feel her magic beginning to give out; not even _her_ magic could last forever. Chrysalis's magic beam inched closer and closer to Twilight, whose eyes widened in fear.

_Oh no, oh nonononononononono!_

Goku clenched his fists. "I don't know exactly what's going on, but Twily needs some help." He hurried over to Twilight, holding his hands at his side as he prepared the Kamehameha.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and groaned. "Fine. It's been a while since I've killed anything anyway." He stepped up to Twilight's side and prepared his Gallick Gun.

"Goku! Vegeta!"

"No time to talk now, Twi," Goku said. He channeled his energy. "You two ready?"

"Like I have a choice?" Vegeta asked as he channeled his energy into his hands.

Twilight felt herself get her second wind, and she began to press her magic harder, pushing Chrysalis's back a bit. "Let's finish this."

"_Ka...me...ha...me..._"

"_Gallick Gun..._"

"_HA!_"

"_FIRE!_"

Three beams - one magic, two energy - flew at Chrysalsi, engulfing her, muffling her painful screams as they reduced her to nothingness.

All three beams faded away, as did the goo holding everyone down. They all rushed to Twilight, congratulating her on her victory.

Twilight wasn't aware of any of it; her vision was going blurry due to the blood loss, and she collapsed.

"Twily!" Shining Armor nudged her with his snout. "Twily, wake up!" He nudged her again, but she wasn't moving. "Don't be dead, don't be dead, please don't be dead."

Applejack turned to Goku. "Goku, quick! Give her one of them magic beans y'all got!"

"I would, but I'm all out," Goku said. "Sorry."

Isaac wrapped his hands around Twilight's right frong leg, putting pressure on her wound to stop the bleeding. He could feel - and see - the blood oozing between his fingers. He applied some more pressure, but even that wasn't enough to stop the bleeding.

"We need to put a bandage," he said. He turned to Cadance and Shining Armor. "Unless one of you knows a healing spell."

"Oh. I do," Cadance said. Her horn began to glow with a light blue aura as she lowered her head towards Twilight, her horn lightly touching the purple unicorn's body. Twilight's entire body was engulfed in the light blue aura of Cadance's magic. Isaac slowly pulled his hands away from Twilight's leg, saw the holes begin to close up. After a moment, it didn't even look like Twilight was wounded; the only signs being the drying blood on her snout and horn.

Twilight's eyes fluttered open. She slowly raised her head and looked around.

"Hey, Twilight," Isaac said. "Are you okay?"

"I feel kind of lousy," Twilight replied, her voice dripping with exhaustion. "I think this is actually worse than when Sephiroth electrocuted me." She tried to stand up, her legs wobbling beneath her body and quickly giving out.

"Just rest, Twilight," Cadance said. "Save your energy."

"Yeah, you deserve a break after giving that feather brain Chrysalis what for," Rainbow Dash said. "I mean, you were _really_ angry." Twilight just sighed in response.

Doris glanced up at the window, saw something moving down on the street. She hurried over to the window for a closer look.

"Um, guys? You don't want to look outside right now."

"Why not?" Rarity asked.

"It's...not looking good." She could see hundreds of black creatures swarming the streets, saw ponies running away, trying to get to safety. Some of the black creatures were attempting to break into houses, seeking their next meal.

"It's the changelings, isn't it?" Isaac asked darkly.

"Y - yeah."

Twilight mentally cursed. Chrysalis had said that the changelings would only launch their attack once Cadance had died, but it seemed that the death of Chrysalis had caused the changelings to launch their attack anyway. She tried to stand up again, but Shining Armor put a hoof on her shoulder, holding her down.

"Forget it, Twily," he said. "You're in no condition to go out and fight them."

"He's right, sugar cube," Applejack added. "Y'all stay here; we'll take care of this." She turned to Isaac. "Won't we?"

Isaac just nodded before turning to Doris. "Doris, you want to stay here with Cadance and Shining Armor, keep an eye on Twilight until she gets better?" Doris nodded her response. "Thanks." He walked over to Twilight and knelt down next to her. "Are you going to be okay, Twilight?"

"Yes," Twilight replied. "Thank you."

Isaac ran a hand through her purple and magenta mane before standing. "Come on, you guys. Let's go. We've got an empire to save."

#########################################

Isaac twisted a changeling's head, snapping its neck.

Vegeta hit a changeling with a ki energy blast, obliterating it.

Goku punched a changeling so hard it was split in half.

Applejack bucked a changeling in the face, shattering its skull.

Rainbow Dash flew around several changelings, creating a tornado, the high speeds crushing the changelings' organs.

Fluttershy dodged out of the way of a changeling, the hellish creature slamming its head against a crystal spire, breaking its neck.

Pinkie Pie blasted several changelings with a cannon that she had pulled from out of nowhere.

The entire battle was over in less than an hour.

####################################

Rarity used her unicorn magic to levitate a dead changeling onto the pile of corpses they had been building in a field just outside the city. She cringed as the limp body landed on the top of the pile, which was now stacked at roughly fifteen feet high. She and the other ponies, as well as the humans, were tired, bruised, and bleeding from small cuts sustained during the fighting, and the scent of death wasn't making things any better.

"Can we _please_ move this along?" she asked as tossed another changeling onto the pile, bucking it off of her back. "I really must bathe, get this horrible scent out of my mane."

Applejack took off her hat and wiped some sweat off of her brow with a foreleg. "Y'all can worry about prettifying yourself later, Rarity," she said. "First thing we gotta do's figure out just what in tarnation we're gonna do with all these here corpses."

"We should bury them, of course," Isaac said. He tossed yet another body onto the pile. "At least that will keep the stench from wafting into the city."

"You _do_ realize that that'll take a few days, right?" Applejack asked skeptically. "'sides, we ain't got no shovels. And I know Rarity ain't gonna be diggin' no holes with her hooves." She cast a quick glance in Rarity's direction. "No offense."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Applejack," Rarity replied.

"Why don't we just burn them?" Vegeta suggested.

"Heavens, no!" Rarity exclaimed. "They smell bad enough already; you don't want the scent of burnt flesh mixed in with this already putrid stench, do you?"

Vegeta growled. "You know what, screw this!" He raised an arm, pointing his index and middle fingers at the pile of corpses -

_BOOM!_

There was a massive fireball as all the corpses were obliterated, the only trace of them being a black burn mark on the green grass.

"There. Problem solved."

"Well, I guess that's efficient enough," Isaac said. "A little loud, but at least it gets the job done."

"Okay, great, job's done. Can we go now?" Rainbow Dash asked impatiently.

"Yes, I really want to see how Twilight's doing," Fluttershy added timidly.

Isaac nodded in agreement. He, too, was worried about Twilight; granted, she had survived the battle with Chrysalis and Cadance's spell had healed Twilight's serious injuries, but he couldn't help but worry about her. He took one last look at the place where the corpses had been before starting to walk back to the palace.

###########################################

Cadance and Shining Armor had moved Twilight to the master bedroom, gently placing her on the feather mattress; she'd passed out a while ago, still exhausted from the fight. Shining Armor didn't blame her; being Captain of the Royal Guard of Canterlot, he'd been in his share of fights as well, so he knew how draining they could be, both physically and mentally, and the fact that his baby sister was the one who had done the fighting...In some ways, he was angry at her for jumping into a situation without thinking, but in other ways, he was proud of her for doing the right thing.

He put a hoof on Twilight's forehead, just under her horn. Her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Didn't think I'd be this tired."

"I'm not surprised," Shining Armor said. "You fought hard. I couldn't be prouder of you, little sis." He bent down and gently kissed Twilight's forehead. "Now get some rest. You've earned it."

Twilight nodded and closed her eyes again, drifting off into a dreamless sleep.


	23. Learn to Fly

LEARN TO FLY

NO ONE SAID ANYTHING DURING THE TRAIN RIDE FROM THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE; they were still feeling the effects of the battle with the changelings, particularly Twilight. She'd recovered her strength, sure, but she still felt the occassional twang of pain in her right front leg. It was tolerable, yes, but not unnoticable. She flexed her leg every few moments, dulling the twang as much as she could.

Doris walked over to Twilight's seat and sat down next to her. "Are you okay, Twilight? You keep flexing your leg."

"I'm fine, Doris," Twilight replied. "I can still feel where Chrysalis bit my leg. It's not so bad, though. A lot better than it was the other night, that's for sure."

"I guess we have Cadance's healing spell to thank for that."

Vegeta was sitting alone, his arms crossed, his eyes closed in deep thought. He opened his eyes a crack and glanced over to Twilight. He hated to admit it, but after watching the little pony fight that monster, that changeling, he had come to respect her. From what he was told, she leaped into battle without any consideration for her own safety - something Vegeta was known to do himself. But unlike Vegeta, she wasn't fighting for her own satisfaction, no; she was fighting to protect a loved one. He scoffed at the notion, but he could still respect the little pony for what she had done. Truth be told, anyone who leaped into battle with no consideration for their own safety earned his respect, no matter how small that respect may be. And it wasn't just his respect for Twilight; he had also come to respect Applejack for what she did in Apploosa.

Goku, for once, wasn't complaining about how hungry he was; actually, he was sleeping, sprawled out on his seat, snoring lightly with his arms crossed behind his head, and he was still wearing that goofy smile. Rainbow Dash was curled up in her own seat, also sleeping. It seemed that whoever wasn't sleeping was staring out at the scenery, their thoughts kept to themselves.

Isaac was twirling the Four-Star Dragon Ball in his hand. It had been too long since he and Doris had found their third Dragon Ball, not counting the two Goku and Vegeta had. A week and a half, and nothing.

_Well, on the bright side, we got to see more of Equestria besides just Ponyville, Canterlot, and the Everfree Forest - even _if _we ended up fighting. Still, I wish we would have found that sixth Dragon Ball; or hell, the last two we need. The Two-Star Ball and the Three-Star Ball. Hopefully we'll find them soon._

He put the Dragon Ball back into his pocket and turned his gaze back outside, the terrain whipping past as the train barrelled down the tracks. His thoughts began to wander again.

He was thinking about home.

_Something tells me things are getting worse. We've been here in Equestria for two weeks. I can only imagine the sorry state our world's in now. It's all the more reason for us to find those last two Dragon Balls._

"Something on your mind, Isaac?" Rarity asked, bringing Isaac back to reality.

"I was just thinking about home," Isaac replied.

"You miss it, don't you?"

Isaac scoffed. "Yeah right. That hell? In your dreams, Rarity. I don't care about that place, unless it comes to keeping my father's promise."

"And that requires finding the last two Dragon Balls."

"Yeah." He yawned. "But right now, I just want to relax." He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

########################################

The sun was just starting to rise as the train pulled into Ponyville Station. The six ponies and four humans were still feeling a little tired from the trip, both physically and mentally, and the fact that it had been a three day train ride didn't help the matter. And though the sun was just beginning to rise over the mountains surrounding Canterlot, its brightness was already blinding.

"Geez, Celestia, turn down the brightness," Rainbow Dash whined. She flexed her wings. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I have _got_ to fly." She took to the air, flying off at a high speed. "I'll see you guys later."

"Yeah, maybe we all should head for home," Twilight said. "See you guys later."

Isaac turned to Goku and Vegeta. "Before we leave, I have something to ask you two."

"What's up, kiddo?"

"Make it quick."

Isaac cringed at Vegeta's tone. "Well, I was wondering if - if you could train me. My father didn't get the chance to finish my training."

"Are you sure, Isaac?" Goku asked. "I've seen you in action, kiddo. You're pretty good."

"Maybe, but there's some things that my father couldn't teach me before he died. He always told me about this secret technique he wanted to teach me, but felt that I wasn't ready at the time."

"What secret technique?" Goku asked. "You mean the Kamehameha?"

"Yeah, that's it," Isaac replied. "And, could you show me how to fly like that?"

"Sure thing, kid," Goku said, placing a hand on Isaac's shoulder. "It'll be fun."

"Maybe for you, clown," Vegeta hissed. "But I'm going to warn you right now, boy - you will never have experienced hell like you will once your training begins."

"Easy, Vegeta," Goku said. "What, you wanna kill the kid?"

Vegeta just scoffed and turned away. "Whatever. We'll start tomorrow. I'll see you then, boy. And prepare for hell."

######################################

Spike and the ponies, along with Doris, watched as Isaac and Goku traded blows. The two had been sparring for nearly an hour. Twilight was watching with great interest, noting their body postures and how both humans moved; Applejack and Rainbow Dash had made a bet as to who would win, with Applejack betting on Isaac and Rainbow Dash betting on Goku; Rarity just scoffed, as was expected - she despised voilence of any sort; Fluttershy looked on with worry, praying that the two of them wouldn't hurt each other too bad; Pinkie Pie and Spike were sharing a bowl of popcorn, hungrily chewing as they watched the faux-fight take place; Doris just stood where she was, watching silently, Vegeta standing nearby, leaning against the outer trunk of the library with his arms crossed.

"This is so exciting!" Spike exclaimed.

"Exciting is hardly the word I would use to describe this," Rarity said. "Honestly, what is it with the males of any species only caring about fighting?"

"They're not fighting, Rarity," Twilight replied. "They're sparring. It's like fake fighting; they're not really trying to hurt each other."

"Still, such barbaric actions."

"Stop being so hypocritical, Rarity," Rainbow Dash said. "We've seen you dapple into the occassional horse fu every once in a while. Remember that manticore, the one you gave a split lip with a good buck?"

"Yes, but that was different," Rarity argued. "That manticore would have killed and eaten us all."

"Wait, you've seen a manticore?" Doris asked.

"It was a long time ago," Twilight replied. "During the incident with Nightmare Moon."

Before Doris could ask, they heard Isaac let out a sharp yelp in pain; Goku had performed a spinning kick, hiting Isaac's jaw and knocking him to the ground.

"Whoops. Sorry about that," Goku said sheepishly. "I guess I got a little carried away."

"Oh my gosh, Isaac! Are you alright, darling?" Rarity asked, concerned.

Isaac slowly climbed to his feet, wiping the blood off his lips. His face was contorted in an angry scowl, which slowly melted into a cocky smile.

"Oh, it's on now." He charged for Goku, pulling his arm back and delivering a hard punch to the older man's face, catching him off guard. Before Goku could react, Isaac kicked Goku in the chest, pushing him back. Goku fell, landing hard on his butt. Isaac raised his fists and bent his knees. "Come on."

Goku smiled. "This is getting pretty fun."

The two of them charged for each other, punching and kicking, blocking and retaliating. They grappled, staring into each other's eyes, both smiling as they pushed against each other, trying to gain the upper hand. Goku tried to knee Isaac in the stomach; Isaac deflected with his own knee, ignoring the shockwave of pain that went though his leg.

"I thought they were just pretend fighting?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Now they're really going at it."

"This is how it should have been from the beginning," Vegeta said, watching the two trade blows, laughing and smiling the whole time. "Just finish this up, Kakarot, so I can take my turn."

Spike groaned. "Okay, the whole 'Goku has two names' thing is really starting to bug me."

Vegeta ignored the young dragon, still watching Goku and Isaac spar; they kicked each other at the same time, knocking the both of them to the ground. They lay on the grass, breathing heavily as they laughed. They sat up on their elbows, still trying to catch their breath.

"You did good, kiddo," Goku said.

"Thanks," Isaac replied.

Vegeta pushed off of the tree trunk. "If you two are through..." He walked over to Isaac, who was just standing up. As soon as Isaac was on his feet, Vegeta drew back his arm and delivered a hard punch to Isaac's face, knocking him back to the ground. "Lesson One, boy: Dodge."

Isaac wiped the blood from his lip and climbed back to his feet, raising his fists and bending his knees. He swung a punch, which Vegeta easily bocked. Vegeta blocked the next two punches Isaac threw at him, along with a few kicks. Isaac prepared another punch, but before he could deliver it, Vegeta kicked Isaac in the chest, knocking him back, following up with another swift kick to the side of Isaac's abdomen. Isaac heard and felt two ribs crack under the force of the impact.

"Dodge, damn it!" Vegeta screamed. He clenched his fist and slammed it into Isaac's stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

Isaac fell to his knees, clutching his gut as he tried to breathe. He felt tears of pain sting his eyes.

"Okay, Vegeta, that's enough," Twilight said.

Vegeta wasn't listening; he delivered a hard kick to Isaac's face, drawing blood from his nose and mouth and throwing him to the ground. Isaac lay where he was, gasping for breath, bloody and bruised. He could only watch as Vegeta prepared an energy blast, aiming it directly at him.

"Last chance to actually dodge, boy."

Twilight magically teleported between the two, spreading her front legs and lowering the front half of her body in a defensive position. "That's _enough_, Vegeta! Any more and you're going to kill him!"

Vegeta glared at Twilight for a moment, even as the other ponies rushed to Isaac's side - along with Spike, Doris, and Goku - before lowering his arm, cancelling out his energy blast. "Fine," he growled. He turned and walked away.

Twlight turned to Isaac. He was curled up in a fetal position on the ground, holding his side, blood oozing from his nose and mouth. He coughed, spitting up some more blood onto the green grass.

"Geez, and I thought _I_ was getting carried away," Goku said; he'd meant it to sound cheerful as usual, but Twilight could still hear the worry in his voice.

Pinkie Pie gently poked Isaac with a hoof, causing him to wince in pain. "Ooh, that looks like it hurts."

"Nopony touch him," Twilight ordered. She fired up her magic, her horn glowing with a light purple aura as she lowered her head towards Isaac. "Not until I perform the healing spell." She touched her horn gently to Isaac's arm.

His entire body began to glow with the same light purple aura as Twilight activated her healing spell. He felt his broken ribs shift painlessly back into place, fitting together like the pieces of a puzzle as they were healed. The pain that was racking his entire body began to subside, going from unbearable to tolerable to barely noticable and finally gone completely. The blood oozing out of his nose and mouth began to dry up as his open wounds closed.

After a few moments, Isaac slowly opened his eyes. He rolled over onto his back and sat up on his elbows.

"You can't even begin to imagine how much that sucked," he groaned. He turned to Twilight. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Twilight said with a smile.

Goku helped Isaac to his feet. "You okay, kiddo?"

"Thanks to Twilight Sparkle, I am," Isaac replied. "Um, can we just forego the sparring and try to fly?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea, sweetie?" Rarity asked. "We don't want to see you end up killing yourself."

"It's okay, Rarity," Isaac said. "I'll be fine."

"I hope so," Rarity replied. "I'd hate to hear of anything bad happening to you." Though she was smiling, Isaac could hear the worry in her voice.

Isaac smiled back and turned to Goku. "I'm ready when you are."

#######################################

Night had fallen hours ago - it was now around eleven PM - and everypony had gone off hours ago, and were now most likely fast asleep. As far as Isaac could tell, the only pony still awake was Twilight, and even then, she was barely staying awake, her eyelids feeling heavy as she watched Issac continue to jump up and down, trying to get airborne. He'd been doing this since after lunch, Goku monitoring him the whole time. No one had seen Vegeta since his sparring match with Isaac - _Sparring match? More like a beat down,_ Twilight thought - it was possible that he had gone off to wander Ponyville, or even the Everfree Forest, though Twilight hoped not. Sure, Vegeta was touch, but even he wouldn't last long against a hydra, and Celestia forbid he stare a cockatrice in the eye; she shuddered as she remembered her run-in with a cockatrice several months ago.

"You've got to channel your energy," Goku said. "Focus. Let your energy lift you off the ground."

"I'm trying," Isaac said, closing his eyes and jumping again. "I knew this wouldn't be easy, but...damn, this is hard."

Despite her sagging eyelids, Twilight still had enough energy to cheer for Isaac. "Come on, Isaac. I believe in you."

"Thanks, Twilight."

Doris, who had been inside the library, reading a Daring Do book - Rainbow Dash had gotten her interested in the series, which she found to be very similar to the _Indiana Jones_ movies and _Tomb Raider_ video games - finally came outside. She sat down next to Twilight.

"Why don't you go inside, Twilight. Get some sleep," she said.

Twilight yawned. "Thanks, Doris." She looked back to Isaac and Goku. "Good luck, Isaac." She headed inside.

Isaac kept his eyes closed, focusing hard. He tried to focus his energy around his whole body, saw an image of his whole body being lifted off the ground. He could feel his entire body radiating, felt a tingling sensation as the soles of his feet slowly left the ground.

###########################################

Celestia's sun filtered in through Rainbow Dash's eyelids, waking her up. She blinked several times, getting the sleep out of her eyes as she raised her head off of the cloud she had slept on. She yawned as she slowly stood up, stretching her legs, back, and wings. She stretched her neck, looking left and right, spotting Isaac resting on a nearby cloud -

_Wait, what?!_

Rainbow Dash shook her head again. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves and bit the skin of her foreleg, hoping she was dreaming.

_Nope, this is definately real._

"Isaac? Is that you?"

Isaac casually waved at her. "Morning, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash could only stare, slack-jawed, as Isaac slowly sat up, crossing his legs. "Wha...but...what...I mean...How could...You're...You're sitting on a cloud!"

"Uh, yeah. I guess I am."

"But that's impossible! Only pegasi and other flying creatures like griffins and alicorns can stand on clouds!"

Isaac said nothing; instead; instead, he climbed to his feet, adjusting his balace to compensate for the fluffiness of the cloud, and took a step off the cloud, hovering in mid-air. Again, Rainbow Dash could only stare, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, as Isaac hovered nearby, a smug look on his face. He couldn't help but chuckle at Rainbow Dash's bewilderment, his chuckle growing into a full-blown laugh.

"You should see your face, Rainbow Dash," he said as he laughed.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "You've done it! You're actually flying! I don't believe this!"

Isaac did a few tricks, flipping and spinning and flying around Rainbow Dash's cloud. A huge smile crossed Rainbow Dash's face, and she took to the air.

"Alright! New flying buddy!"

"You have no idea how hard it was to do this," Isaac said as he stopped flying and hovered in mid-air. "I had to stay up all night to do this."

"All night?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Aren't you tired?"

"I am, but I'm more excited than anything," Isaac replied. Another smile crossed his face, and Rainbow Dash could almost hear the gears grinding in his mind. "Race ya. First one to Sugar Cube Corner."

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings excitedly as she hovered. "I hope you've got your wallet on you, Two-Legs, because loser is paying for the muffins."

The two of them landed on a nearby cloud, flexing their entire bodies before taking off and diving towards the earth.


	24. Dark Visitors

DARK VISITORS

TWILIGHT SAT ON THE BALCONY, HER LEGS TUCKED UNDER HER BODY IN A typical horse-like style, as she used her snout to flip through the text book she was reading - she was again reading through _Mystical, Magical Medallions_. She already knew so much about every trinkent in this book, she was just reading through it again for enjoyment. She knew all about the Alicorn Amulet thanks to Trixie and Zecora; she knew all about the Elements of Harmony - for obvious reasons - and thanks to this search, and a bit more information from Goku and Vegeta, she knew more about the Dragon Balls than she did two weeks ago.

She knew it most likely didn't concern her, but she couldn't help but think about the reason Isaac and Doris were looking for the Dragon Balls. The way their world was slowly falling apart, being consumed by death and disease. It made her realize how lucky she and her friends were to live in Equestria; sure, this world had seen its share of dangerous threats, all of whom had been defeated by the Elements of Harmony, but outside of Discord's reign before the rule of Luna and Celestia, Equestria had never seen the sort of atrocities Isaac and Doris had mentioned.

She heard footsteps on the hardwood floor behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, saw Doris climbing the stairs into Twilight's personal quarters. "Morning, Doris."

"Hey, Twilight," Doris replied. "What's up?"

"Just reading through _Mystical, Magical Medallions_," Twilight replied. "It's such a fascinating read; I've already read through it sixteen times."

"Sixteen?" Doris repeated. "That's a bit obsessed, don't you think?"

"I am not obsessed," Twilight corrected her, turning back to her book. "I just enjoy reading. I always have, ever since I was a filly, even before I was taken under Princess Celestia's turtorship. But you're not the first to say I'm obsessed with reading - my brother used to joke that I was obsessive-compulsive, and Rainbow Dash is constantly calling me an 'egghead'."

Doris couldn't help but chuckle as she sat next to Twilight on the balcony. "I can see that." She looked into the book, saw a picture of the Elements of Harmony. "We saw those in Canterlot, just before we had that run-in with Discord. Even in a picture, they're still really beautiful."

Twilight nodded in response and used her snout to turn the page.

"LOOK OUT BELOW!"

Doris and Twilight quickly rolled out of the way as Isaac slammed into the balcony from above, tumbling through the open door before slamming his back into a bookshelf. Several books fell on top of him.

Twilight and Doris rushed to his side. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay, Isaac?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Isaac said as he stood up, careful not to ruin any of Twilight's books. "I guess I lost control when I swerved to get around Ditzy Doo," he added with a chuckle.

Ditzy Doo landed on the balcony, stumbling a bit as she tried to find her balance. Now that Isaac got a good look at the gray pegasus, he couldn't help but notice that her eyes were a little wonky - her right eye pointing slightly upwards, her left eye pointing slightly downwards. She was smiling cheerfully.

"Sorry about that, Isaac," she said as she used her wings to readjust the brown mail bag she had slung over her shoulders. "I just don't know what went wrong."

"It's okay, Ditzy," Isaac replied. He rubbed her head, ruffling her yellow mane a little. "I'm the one who should have been watching where I was going."

Ditzy's smile seemed to grow. "Well, I better get back to work. Before I go - " She reached into her bag with her wing and pulled out -

A blueberry muffin.

She handed the muffin to Isaac, carefully balancing the muffin on her feathers. "Here you go, Isaac! One tasty blueberry muffin, for my human friend!"

"Uh, thanks," Isaac said, reluctantly taking the muffin from Ditzy's wing.

Ditzy smiled sweetly before taking to the air, turning and flying to the eastern end of Ponyville.

"She seems nice," Doris said.

"She is," Twilight agreed. "She doesn't deserve the reputation she's gotten around town," she added solemnly.

"What reputation?" Isaac asked.

"Well, you saw her eyes, right?" Twilight asked. Isaac nodded. "It's a defect she was born with. Because her eyes are so wonky, she can't exactly see straight and tends to be a bit...clumsy. A lot of ponies around town, and even in Cloudsdale, have taken to calling her Derpy Hooves, saying she's a klutz who can't do anything right and are suprised she's held her job with the post office as long as she has. And I'll admit, she can be a bit clumsy sometimes - she accidentally blew a hole in the roof of the town hall with a thunder cloud, just as an example - but she doesn't mean any harm from it. Very few ponies know just how hard she works to support herself and her daughter Dinky. Honestly, I think she smiles all the time to hide the fact that she's actually hurting inside from all the teasing she gets."

"I know how she feels," Isaac said. "I was always getting teased when I was a little kid because I was different. Ditzy's certainly handling it a lot better than I ever could."

"Because of your Saiyan heritage?" Twilight asked.

"I guess." He walked back out onto the balcony. "I hope she hasn't gone too far yet."

"Why?" Doris asked.

"I just want to talk to her," Isaac replied. He leaped off of the balcony, hovering in the air for a moment before flying off in the direction Ditzy went.

######################################

Ditzy was standing on a small cloud, using her wings to hold her mail bas as she sorted through it with her front hooves. There were the usual pieces of mail - bills, flyers, letters, postcards - and several muffins. It was odd; a lot of ponies tended to order muffins. Not like Ditzy was complaining. After all, who _didn't_ like muffins? They were so chewy and tasty, satisfying when hungry, and oh _boy_ did they smell good.

Sadly, some of the ponies she'd delivered muffins to were the ponies who were always making fun of her. "What the buck are you doing, giving me a muffin, Derpy?! Oh look, it's the klutz; did you get lost two feet from home? How the hay do you manage to keep that job at the post office, Derpy Hooves? Get the buck out of my face, you clumsy oaf!" were just some of the things they would say. As these thoughts crossed her mind, she felt her smile begin to fade for the first time that day.

"Ditzy Doo?"

Ditzy looked to her left, saw Isaac hovering next to the cloud. He gently sat down next to her.

"Oh. Hello, Isaac. Did you like the muffin?"

"I ate it on the way here," Isaac replied. "It was delicious. Thank you. But, that's not what I wanted to talk about. Twilight told me about the...poor reputation you have around here."

"Oh." She lowered her head. "Yeah. I don't mean to be a klutz, it just sort of happens. Everypony picks on me for it, and the even go after Dinky because she's inherited some of my clumsiness."

"But there are still some ponies that treat you fairly," Isaac said. "Like Twilight Sparkle. She told me that you're a really nice pony, despite your...flaws. And honestly, I can understand your frustrations."

"You can?"

"Yeah. When I was a little kid, I was constantly teased because I was different; I didn't know at the time that it was because I'm not exactly human - long story. They were always picking on me, some of them even beat me up. I did my best to ignore the bullies and let it all go, but no matter what I did, they always managed to get under my skin. I can't even begin to count the fights I got into; it got so bad that I just exploded on them." He put an arm around Ditzy's shoulders. "I can honestly say that you're handling the teasing a hell of a lot better than I ever could. Despite the teasing, you're always smiling."

"Well, it's like Pinkie Pie says - why be sad when you can smile!"

Isaac chuckled. "That pony certainly has a way with folks. I just hope you resorting to violence because of it."

"It's crossed my mind a few times, I'll admit."

"Well, it's like I told the Cutie Mark Crusaders the other day - that just leads to even more problems. Trust me, I know."

"Yeah, I know it's bad. That's what I tell Dinky, too. The things we do, the reasons ponies call us clumsy and klutzes - "

"That's just part of who you are," Isaac said. "I know you didn't mean to put that hole in the roof of town hall. Dumb clouds." Ditzy chuckled. Isaac pulled her in closer. "Just keep smiling, Ditzy. Promise me you will, promise me you'll stay strong - for Dinky, if nothing else."

Ditzy looked up at him and smiled. She leaned up and nuzzled against the side of his neck.

"I will, Isaac. I promise."

"Good." He stood up. "I'd better get going. Besides, I think I'm keeping you from your job. See you later, Ditzy Doo."

######################################

Alien. That was the only way to describe this forest - alien. There were sounds he couldn't recognize, some of the trees had a very demonic look to them, and the creatures - there were wolves that seemed to be made out of trees; a creature with the head of a chicken and the body of a snake that, despite its ridiculous appearance, had proven itself to be quite dangerous, having turned several soldiers to stone just by looking at them; and then there was that lion thing, only it wasn't exactly a lion, since it had a set of bat wings and a scorpion tail.

Just where the hell did that vortex take them?

Wherever it was, he was certain that this was the same place his sister currently was.

He just hoped that she was safe.

####################################

"Um, are you sure this is a good idea?" Sweetie Bell asked. She and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders were currently standing on a wooden platform suspended at the top of a tall tree, a steel cable hooked to the trunk above them and stretching all the way to the ground at a slight angle. The three of them were wearing helmets and pads on all four legs, and sitting on the platform next to them were three hooks. "I mean, every time we try zip lining, we always end up covered in pine needles and tree sap - not to mention that one time we accidentally smashed into a family of squirrels."

"Don't worry about it, Sweetie Bell," Scootaloo said. "How many times can you anger the same seven squirrels?"

"I don't know, you tell us," Apple Bloom replied.

Scootaloo scoffed and picked up a hook with her mouth. "Well, you two chickens can stay up here if you want," she said, the hook muffling her words. "I'm going down. See you at the bottom with a Zip Lining Cutie Mark!" She set the hook on the cable and prepared to push off.

_**BAM! BAM! BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM! BAM BAM BAM!**_

"WHOA!" Scootaloo barely managed to catch herself on the edge of the platform - those loud noises had startled her so much she lost her grip on the hood, which was now sliding pilotless towards the ground. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell helped her back to her hooves.

"What - what the heck was that?" Scootaloo asked.

"I don't know," Apple Bloom replied. "I ain't never heard no sound like that. Actually, wait...I think I _have_."

"That sounded like the noises the Transformers' weapons made," Sweetie Bell said. "Think they're back in Equestria?"

_**BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!**_

"Uh, no," Scootaloo said. "We've gotta tell somepony - we've gotta tell Rainbow Dash!" She hooked her front hooves over the cable. "Come on, quick!" She pushed off the platform, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo following close behind.

The trees whipped past them, the branches slapping against their faces as they slid the steel cable to the ground. Scootaloo could smell her fur and flesh starting to burn due to the friction, but ignored it, knowing that they couldn't waste any time getting to Rainbow Dash. Whatever that sound was, she knew it couldn't be good.

They landed on the ground, their small bodies once again covered in tree sap and pine needles, but they had more important things to worry about; they started running as fast as their little legs could carry them, into Ponyville, past Sugar Cube Corner, finally arriving at the library.

Scootaloo pounded on the door with her front hooves. "Rainbow Dash! Are you in there?"

The door opened, Doris standing on the other side. "Oh. Hi, girls."

"Doris, is Rainbow Dash in there?" Scootaloo asked.

"No. Haven't seen her all morning. But Twilight's here."

"Whatever, we just have to tell about the noise we heard!"

"Noise? What noise?"

This time, it was Sweetie Bell who spoke up. "It sounded like a thunder cloud going off. Bang! Bang! Bang Bang Bang!"

"Only it didn't sound like thunder," Apple Bloom added. "It sounded like gunshots!"

Doris felt the blood drain from her face. "Did - did you just say, gunshots?"

"Coming from the EverFree Forest," Sweetie Bell said.

Isaac landed behind them, having just come back from talking with Ditzy Doo. "Hey, kids. What's going on?"

"Isaac, I think we have a problem," Doris said.

"What? What problem?" Isaac asked. He looked down to the three fillies. "What'd you three do this time? Does it have anything to do with why you're covered in tree sap and pine needles?"

"Isaac, they said they heard gunshots coming from the EverFree Forest."

Isaac's blood began to run cold. "Did - did you just say, gunshots?" He actually began to turn pale. "Oh my God. It means _they're_ here!"

"Wait, who's here?" Apple Bloom asked.

Isaac didn't answer; he balled his hands into tight fists, his knuckles turning white. "Shit," he hissed. "They've found Equestria." He looked back to the fillies. "You three stay here with Twilight; you'll be safe. Doris, let's go."

The two humans hurried off, heading for the EverFree Forest.

#####################################

There were no sounds coming from the forest, no sounds coming from the animals at Fluttershy's cottage; just silence. A deafening silence. Despite how quiet it was, Isaac's ears were ringing as what Doris told him echoed through his mind.

_Gunshots. From the EverFree. I have a very bad feeling about this. If they found their way into the EverFree Forest, it's only a matter of time before they discovere Ponyville and the rest of Equestria._

"Isaac, if it really is them, then what are we going to do?" Doris asked.

"Honestly, Doris, I have no idea," Isaac replied. "I guess all we can do is find some way of keeping them out of Ponyville. Who knows - maybe those wolves have already gotten to them."

"Well, there's only one way to find out," a voice said.

Isaac and Doris turned around to see Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie standing nearby.

"What are you six doing here?" Isaac asked.

"Hey, ain't no way we're lettin' some friends of ours go snoopin' around the EverFree Forest huntin' for more humans," Applejack said. "'sides, I for one wanna know what all the hype 'bout these here 'bad humans' is all about."

"It's best if you all stay here in Ponyville," Isaac said. "Trust me, they won't hesitate to shoot any of you."

Hearing this, Fluttershy predictably shrank back. "Um, well, when you put it that way, maybe we _should_ stay. I haven't fed my animals yet anyway, and you know how Angel gets when he's hungry."

"No way!" Rainbow Dash screamed. "If you two are going in there, then so are we! I don't care if these evil humans have guns or guard dogs - heck, they can have a bucking _dragon_ for all I care - I am _not_ going to sit on my rump while they do whatever the hay they want!"

"No, girls," Doris said. "What if they end up killing you all?"

"Actually, Doris, I think they're right," Isaac said.

"What?"

"This is their world. They have every right to defend it if they feel they have to. We're just visitors here; what right do we have to stop them from doing what they feel is right?"

"Well, I guess that makes sense."

"Should I go home and get my hiking boots, then?" Rarity asked. "I think you'll like them; quite fashionable, really."

"There's no time for that," Isaac said as he turned back to the forest. "Just stay close to us. And pray that we get through this alive."

"One question," Twilight said. "Where are Goku and Vegeta?"

"They probably heard the gunshots and went ahead to investigate," Isaac guessed. "Now come on; we can't waste any more time."

They headed into the dark forest.

#########################################

Rainbow Dash scoffed. "How exactly are we supposed to find these humans when I can't even see my own hoof in front of my face?" The thick canopy of the EverFree Forest was, as usual, blocking out the sun, making the forest much darker than it normally was and giving everything around them a hellish feel to it. "I wonder if _they_ can even see?"

"They can see," Isaac replied. "They've got flashlights, night vision goggles, not to mention their search dogs."

"They have doggies?" Pinkie Pie asked, excitedly bouncing up and down. "I love doggies! Do I get to pet one?"

"No, Pinkie Pie, because these dogs will tear your throat out if you give them the chance," Doris said.

Pinkie Pie put her hooves against her throat. "Ouch. That sounds like it would hurt."

A twig snapped. They all stopped walking and looked around warily. That sound hadn't come from any of them; it was nearby, in the bushes. Twilight used her unicorn magic to light up the area for a brief moment.

A hint of green camouflage, the shine of a black assault rifle -

_A soldier!_

Several soldiers leaped out of the bushes and out of the trees, their weapons trained on all of them. Some of them carried ropes, which they threw around the ponies. Rainbow Dash tried to fly away, but the soldiers pulled her back to the ground. The ponies bucked and whinnied as they tried to get free, only resulting in them getting tangled in the ropes even more. Isaac and Doris were thrown to the ground, the soldiers preparing to cuff their hands behind their backs with zip ties.

One of the soldiers, no doubt the squad leader, began addressing the other soldiers.

"Remember, the scientists want them alive, so don't hurt them too badly."

Doris's eyes went wide as she recognized the soldier. "Colin?!"

_Wait,_ Isaac thought. _Her BROTHER?! What the hell is he doing here?_

Doris wiggled out from the soldier's grip and ran over to Colin. He tossed his gun over his shoulder and pulled Doris in for a tight hug, which Doris didn't return.

"Thank God you're alive, Doris. I've been looking everywhere for you; you don't know how worried I was!"

"You can say that to me?" Doris asked, her voice seething with hatred. "You can say that to me after what you did? How dare you!"

"Doris, please, hear me out! I didn't want to do that, honest!"

"I don't care if you wanted to or not, you're the one who pulled the trigger. And you didn't seem to be sorry then."

"Listen, please. If there was anything I could do to bring them back, I'd do it in a heartbeat. You know that."

"Just so you could kill them again? Yeah, right."

Another soldier walked up to Colin. "What should we do with these prisoners, Sergeant?"

"Put Isaac and the animals a cell with the other two we got earlier," Colin replied. "My sister and I have some catching up to do."

"Forget it," Doris spat. "I'd rather stay with Isaac and the ponies. And they are _not_ animals; they're my friends." She turned to walk away. Colin grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"Doris, please, hear me out. I swear, when they took me, I didn't know - "

"You didn't know what? What side you were on?" She pulled her arm away from Colin and walked back over to where Isaac and the ponies were. "Well now you do, _Sergeant_."

Colin sighed. He knew nothing he said would get his sister to understand. He turned to the other soldiers. "Take them back to the compound. And keep an eye out; we don't want to run into any more of those creatures."

"What creatures?" Twilight asked. "Hydras? Manticores? Timber wolves?"

"Uh, Sergeant? No one said anything about these horses being able to talk," a soldier said.

"We'll worry about that later," Colin replied. "Just take them back to the compound; that's something for the scientists to figure out."

They began walking down the path, the soldiers pushing Isaac and Doris and dragging the ponies along.


	25. Redemption

REDEMPTION

"WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE THINGS?"

"They look like something those kooks at the labs have been working on."

"Did some dumbass in Genetics leave the cage open again?"

They were forced down the hallway of a large, concrete complex. The dim lights made it difficult to see, but at least the lighting in here was better than outside in the forest - though looking around, Twilight found herself longing for the darkness. The way these humans were staring at them - some looks were of confusion, some were of intrigue, but no matter what they were, Twilight could feel the evil emminating off of some of these humans.

They were pushed into a large cage, like a prison cell; the door was locked behind them. She shook her entire body, like a dog shaking off water, and took a look around. Like the rest of the complex, this room was made of dull gray concrete, the bars of solid steel. There was a slight buzzing sound coming from the bars - Twilight had no idea what that noise was, and she wasn't willing to touch the bars to find out. There was a rather uncomfortable looking cot on the far wall, and opposite that there was a hole in the ground - too small for them to squeeze through. Standing in the back of the room, arms crossed, was Vegeta, and Goku was sitting on the cot.

"Goku! Vegeta! We were wondering what happened to you guys!"

"Well now you know, furball," Vegeta said. He pushed off of the wall, keeping his arms crossed. "Those bastards jumped us. We couldn't react in time and got brought to this place."

"Well, at least you're both still okay," Fluttershy said, smiling sweetly at Vegeta.

"Except my pride."

"Why not just break out of here?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You guys are tough enough. Just rip out those bars and go all Super on these dorks!"

"We tried that, Rainbow," Goku replied. "But the bars are electrified. And it _really_ stings."

Twilight stared at Goku for a moment, wondering if she should belive him. She turned to the bars and slowly, carefully, reached out to them with her hoof.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Goku warned.

Twilight could feel the fur on her leg standing on end as her hoof neared the bars. She hesitated for a second, before placing her hoof against the metal.

A sharp pain racked her body, a pain she hadn't felt since Sephiroth had used his Thundaga magic on her. She screamed in agony as she tried to pull her leg away from the bars, the electricity surging through her entire body, head to hoof, nose to tail. She felt like her eyes were about to bulge out of their sockets.

She finally managed to pull away from the bars, her fur standing on end, making her look like a purple puff ball, and the residual pain of the electric shock coursing through her body and down to her hooves.

"Are you okay, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, her voice full of worry.

Twilight took a few deep breaths, slowing down her heart beat. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I'm okay," she said after a moment, still breathing heavily. "That was a stupid, _stupid_ idea!"

"Well, at least it didn't really hurt you," Isaac said.

"Isaac, you're not the one who touched it, you didn't feel the pain. I did. It really, _REALLY_ hurt."

"It looks like it hurt your fur more than anything, darling," Rarity said, looking on with horror at the way Twilight's fur was sticking up. Her horn began to glow with her typical light blue aura. "Here, let me fix that for you." The magical aura surrounded Twilight, straightening out her fur and fixing the hair on her mane and tail, putting everything back the way it had been before. "There we go. Good as new. And don't listen to them about the electricity not hurting so much. I understand completely what you're going through." She put a hoof to her chest. "I can still remember the burning sensation of that electric prod Megatron kept sticking me with."

"Okay, okay, we all know that touching the bars is a bad idea," Rainbow Dash said. "But what are they going to do with us? Are they gonna come in here looking for a fight?" She reared up on her hind legs and started shadow boxing. "Because I wouldn't mind teaching these goons a thing or two about horse fu."

"They're probably going to finish killing off the last of the Saiyans," Vegeta said. "That means me, Kakarot, and Isaac. I don't know about Doris, and as for the six of you - they're most likely going to cut you open, see what makes you tick."

"Why would they want to see what makes us tick?" Pinkie Pie asked. "We're not clocks."

Vegeta ignored her. "I imagine that in a few hours at least one of you will be on the slab like a frog in biology class."

"W-w-w-w-w-w-w-what?" Fluttershy stammered.

"Ugh, they would dare to do something so horrible?" Rarity cried. "It was bad enough when Knock Out almost did so; I certainly don't want any of these ruffians getting any blood on my fur and my mane."

"Do you really think they give two shits about that?" Vegeta growled. "They don't. To them, you're nothing but animals, animals they'd never seen before. And when a human wants to learn about something he's never seen before, he cuts it open. They'll probably start with one of the unicorns, or maybe the pegasi. Either way, it's not going to be pretty."

"How about you say something motivational," Rainbow Dash snapped. "Or better yet, just blow this whole joint up! There's nothing stopping you from doing to this place what you did to Discord."

One of the soldiers standing guard turned to look into the cell. "Hey! Shut up in there! Freaks."

#####################################

"Freaks."

That was the only word Deon had to describe those multicolored horses - freaks. Purple, orange, blue, white, yellow, pink; those were not natural colors for horses. Okay, maybe orange, yellow, and white, but when was the last time anyone saw a purple horse? Or a pink horse or a blue horse, for that matter? When was the last time anyone saw an actual unicorn or a pegasus? When was the last time a horse began talking like a human being? It didn't make any sense to him. They were just animals - albeit animals that looked like they'd jumped out of a little kid's Saturday morning cartoon - and they shouldn't be able to talk like that. Stomping their hooves on the ground to count is one thing, but to actually hear words coming from their mouths -

_It's just weird. And it kind of freaks me out._

"What's, that, D?"

Specialist Richard Applegate was standing guard at the cell along with Deon. Deon liked Richard; despite having been forced to join the armies of the One World Nation like so many other people, he took everything in stride, always smiling and always having something funny to say.

"Those horses, Richard," Deon replied. "Freaking me out with their bright colors and their cutesy looks. And the fact that they talk."

"Well, I don't know if they freak me out," Richard said. "But I'll agree with you on the cutesy thing."

"You would. But I wouldn't look at them too long if I were you. You might end up having a heart attack from cuteness overload."

"Screw that; if I'm gonna die from cuteness overload, I'd rather they give me diabetes."

"You'll be getting that either way, as many sweets as you eat."

"Hey, to be fair, I only had ONE Twinkie at lunchtime."

Deon heard his radio beep. He pressed the reviever and spoke into it. "This is Private Stine."

"_Private, it's Captain Winters. Is Sergeant Jameson with you at the moment?_"

"No sir, he's not, but I'll have him go see you as soon as I see him."

"_Thanks, Private._"

"No problem, Captain." He turned off his radio. "Wonder why the cap needs to see Colin?"

"Probably because one of the humans in there is his sister," Richard guessed. He glanced into the cell. "She's kind of cute."

"If he finds out you've been eyeing his sister, he'll tear your head off and shove it up your ass."

"Wait, whose head am I shoving up their ass?"

Colin was walking towards them, his weapon slung over his shoulder in a very casual manner.

"Oh. Sergeant, Captain Winters wants to see you."

"What? Why?"

"He wouldn't say," Deon replied. "He just wants to see you."

Colin sighed. He had been hoping to get to talk to his sister again, to try to clear things up. "Okay, fine. Just keep an eye on things, okay fellas?"

"You got it, Sergeant," Richard said.

"While you're gone, Sergeant, you think you can get us some muzzles for those horses?" Deon asked, pointing into the cell with his thumb. "They won't stop yapping. It's kind of creeping me out."

"I'll see what I can do."

He walked down the hallway, his thoughts once again going back to his sister. He so desperately wanted to talk to her, to tell her just how sorry he was for killing their entire family. If only she would give him the chance, she would see the guilt and regret he'd been living with for over five years. It didn't help that, before they all came through that portal to get to this place - the coordinates Isaac had put in were still locked - he was starting to think that she might be dead. But now that he knew she was still alive...

_There's just got to be a way to make her understand._

He walked through a door, into the offices and personal chambers of the commanding officers. Slowly, he made his way to Captiain Samuel Winters's office. Taking a deep breath, he raised his fist and lightly knocked on the door.

"Come on in."

Colin slowly pushed the door open and closed it behind him, snapping a crisp salute as soon as the door was shut.

"I was told you wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes I did, Sergeant," Captain Winters said. He was a tall, mildly muscular man, standing at around five-foot-eleven. His black hair was neatly trimmed and graying at the temples. The sunglasses he usually wore were hooked to the collar of his undershirt. Like all the other soldiers here, he was wearing the typical army uniform - gray and black camouflage, brown boots, and a patrol cap. His office was decorated with pictures of his family - a wife and three kids - with dates underneath each person; dates that Colin knew were the days that they died. There was a calendar on the far wall and a laptop computer opened on the desk.

"There's no need to be so formal, Sergeant," he said. "Go ahead and relax; this little chat of ours isn't going into any records."

Colin loosened up, sagging his shoulders back to their natural positions. "If I may, sir, why'd you want to see me?"

"Blunt as always," Winters said. "You know, that's one things I always liked about you." He took a quick look at his computer. "Well, wherever we are, we don't have internet access." He closed the laptop and sat down in a chair. He gestured to another chair. "Please, sit."

"If it's all the same to you, sir, I'd rather stand."

"Suit yourself. So, Sergeant - okay, forget that, let's go with a first-name basis - Colin, I understand that one of the people your squad took was your younger sister?"

"Yes sir, that's right."

"I'm certain you'd rather her not suffere the same fate as the rest of your family - "

"Sir, if you're trying to blackmail me - "

"Relax, that's not what I'm going for. I might be able to help you see that she gets set free. I've got friends in the chain of command, I can get a few strings pulled."

"And what about the others - Isaac and those...ponies?"

"Well, the Alten boys already got what they need from Isaac. As for those 'ponies', as you call them well...I'm sorry to say that I doubt they'll let them go."

"Why not?"

"Well, it's not every day you see a unicorn or a pegasus, let alone one that can talk."

"How'd they - "

"Someone in your squad spread the word, and you know how quickly word gets around. The science boys want to take a good look at them."

"And let me guess. That means cutting them open."

"Isn't that how people make new discoveries?" He stood up and put a hand on Colin's shoulders. "I'm sure you'd want to help them, Colin. You've always put others before yourself; it's how you managed to make Sergeant at your age. But I'm sorry to say that that decision's already been made, and I really don't have any say over what those nerds can and cannot do. So just go back to your room. Get some rest. You look like you need it."

Colin didn't move; he just stayed where he was, staring at Captin Winters.

"Is there something else you'd like to talk about, Colin?"

"No sir," Colin said, hiding the rising anger in his voice. "Nothing. I'll be off now." He snapped a quick salute before walking out the door.

##########################################

The humming in the bars faded away. A second later, they opened, sliding into the roof and the floor. On the other side of the bars were two scientists - each one carrying a rope - escorted by two soldiers. The soldiers entered the cell first, aiming their weapons at everyone as the scientists eyed the six ponies.

"We'll take the yellow pegasus," one of the scientists said.

Fluttershy shrank back with a small gasp. "Oh my."

The scientists tossed their ropes around Fluttershy's neck. They began to drag her out of the cell, Fluttershy resisting the whole time, digging her hooves into the concrete floor and flapping her wings, trying to get away.

"Hey! Let her go!" Rainbow Dash yelled. She flapped her wings, getting ready to take off, only to get the barrel of a soldier's gun pressed against her face. "If you hurt even a single hair on my friend's mane, I'll stomp your faces into mush!"

The soldiers didn't seem to care; they followed the scientists out of the room. The bars went back into place and once again began brimming with electricity.

Rainbow Dash stomped a hoof on the floor and let out an angry snort, her wings flared in rage. "There has to be _something_ we can do! Anything!"

"There's nothing we can do while we're stuck in here," Isaac said glumly. He balled his hands into tight fists. "But I swear, if they hurt Fluttershy in any way, shape, or form, I _will_ tear them apart." He put a hand on Rainbow Dash's back. "I promise you that, Rainbow Dash."

_I don't care if we're stuck in here,_ he silently added. _I don't care if they have guns. There's no way I'm going to let them hurt timid little Fluttershy._

###################################

Colin sat on his bed, his knees hugged to his chest. Captain Winters had said that he would guarantee Doris's safety, but not the safety of her pony friends. It was bad enough that he had been forced to kill their family; if she found out that he let her pony friends get sacrificed for what those people called "science", she'd _really_ hate him. He didn't want that; he didn't want his only living family member hating him for the rest of their lives.

But what was he going to do? He was only an E5, a Sergeant; he wouldn't start having a say in any matters until he got to be at least a Sergeant First Class, two grades above him. Until then, the only thing he could do was sit back and let the higher ups do their thing.

_But this just isn't right. It's wrong. And it's partly my fault. If only I'd convinced Dad not to fight back, if only I'd convinced them to let my family live. Doris wouldn't hate me, we wouldn't be in this...other world, and her friends wouldn't be in danger._ He stood up and walked over to the nearby window, looking out into the dark forest. It had started to rain a few moments ago, the water running down the glass on the outside.

Without realizing it, Colin began to sing.

_I have to find a way_

_To make this all okay_

_I can't believe this small mistake_

_Could've caused so much heartache_

_Oh why, oh why?_

_Losing promise_

_I don't know what to do_

_Seeking answers_

_I fear I won't get through to you_

_Oh why, oh why?_

"I'm not going to let them kill. Not anymore."

He slipped on his vest, making sure he had all of his ammunition for both his rifle and his side arm, before gathering up his weapons and heading out the door, his face set into grim determination.

A scream, like the scream of a young girl, coming from the laboratories. Colin started running, first as a light jog, before picking up into a full-on sprint. He silently prayed, hoping he'd make it to the labs before they opened up whoever screamed.

He skidded to a stop just outside the labs. He kicked the door down and ran through the halls, peeking through the window of every door he came to.

There, in Lab Number Five, three scientists attempting to strap the little yellow pegasus with the baby pink hair to an examination table. The pegasus was fighting as hard as she could, but to no avail - the scientists finally managed to strap her to the table. They hooked her up to an EKG machine, taking measurements of her heart rate and brain waves. Her heart rate was skyrocketing - no surprise there; the little pegasus was scared.

Colin spotted something on a nearby table - examination tools. One of the scientists was using a stethoscope on the pegasus, another one taking her blood pressure. Colin watched for a moment, for what seemed like an eternity, as the scientists took all sorts of measurements, which also included her overall wingspan. But there was something else on the table, something that narly made the blood in Colin's veins run cold - scissors, scalpels, a bone saw.

_Jesus. They really _are_ going to cut her open!_ He'd seen enough; he tightened his grip on his rifle, took a step back from the door, and kicked it open, catching the scientists by surprise. He didn't waste any time; he quickly aimed and pulld the trigger, shooting one scientist in the throat. Blood splurted everywhere as he fell. Colin turned to the other two scientists, one of whom now had the bone saw in his hands, and fired again, the bullet making a clean hole in the scientists head.

Colin turned to the third scientist, the only one still left alive, and aimed his rifle at him. "I'm only going to give you one chance to let her go," he growled. "Now."

"N - no," the scientist stammered. "I - I have my orders."

"To hell with your orders," Colin hissed. He fired, the bullet hitting the scientist in the knee, knocking him to the ground. "Release the pegasus!" he hissed through clenched teeth. "NOW!"

"I won't!"

Colin walked over to the scientist and kicked him in the face. "Last chance, asshole."

"No!"

"Suit yourself." He took out his sidearm and fired, putting a bullet in the scientist's head. He then turned to all the electrical machines and fired, causing smoke to billow out of all of them before turning his attention to Fluttershy, who was squirming on the table, trying desperately to get free.

"P-p-p-p-p-p-please d-d-d-d-d-don't hurt m-m-m-m-m-m-me," she squeaked, her voice cracking with fear. Colin could see the tears rolling from her eyes, matting her fur to her face.

Colin put his sidearm back into its holster and slung his rifle behind his back. "It's okay," he said, making his voice sound as soothing as possible. "I'm not going to hurt you." He picked up the scalpel from the rolling table. "I'm here to help." He wedged the scalpel between the straps and the pegasus's legs, turning the blade upwards and slicing, cutting the straps. "Come on; let's get out of here, um...It's Fluttershy, right?"

Flutteshy sniffed and wiped some tears away with her hoof. "Y-y-y-y-yes, I am. But, how did you - "

"I heard Isaac and those other ponies talking," Colin replied. "But enough talk; somebody will have heard those gunshots. We have to get out of here."

"But, you work for these bad humans, don't you?" Fluttershy asked.

Colin reached into his shirt, grasping the chains of his dog tags. He took a moment to look at them -

_Jameson, Colin G._

_ 12 March 2023_

_ O Pos_

_ 235-81-0092_

He gave the chains a good tug, yanking them off from around his neck, and threw them to the floor.

"They can consider that my official resignation. Now, let's go. And stay close to me. Okay?"

"O - okay."

They left the lab and made their way down the hall, moving slowly, quietly, keeping low at every window they came to. Colin kept his eyes open, Fluttershy's ears were swiveling left and right as they looked out for any signs of danger.

They came to a corner. Colin pressed his back against the wall, using his free arm to hold Fluttershy against the wall as well, as several soldiers ran past, no doubt heading to the labs to investigate the gunshots. Once the last soldier had gone by, Colin slowly let out the breath he'd been holding as he and Fluttershy slid around the corner. A few more moments, they found themselves at the cell.

_Good_, Colin thought. _The shifts have changed. I'm sure Deon and Richard would have understood, but I don't want to take that chance._

He turned to Fluttershy. "Stay here and wait until I take out those guards," he whispered. Fluttershy nodded in response. He slowly slipped out from around the corner, before rushing at the guards.

#################################

"Oof!"

"What the - " _Crack_.

_BANG!_

They all tensed up as the bars slowly retracted, relaxing once they saw Fluttershy standing on the other side.

"Fluttershy!" Twilight ran to the yellow pegasus, pulling her into a light hug. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Fluttershy said. "Thanks to Colin."

As soon as she said that, Colin came into view, a small smile gracing his face. He was now wearing his ammo vest and carrying his rifle, which was slung across his back.

Doris let out a small growl and rushed at Colin, slamming a hard fist into his face, sending him reeling.

"Doris!" Fluttershy gasped. "Colin helped me escape those bad humans!"

"No, Fluttershy," Colin said. "I've had that one coming for a long time. But enough about that. Listen, you have to get out of here." Nobody moved, they just glared at him. "Look, I'm letting you go free; they already know that I'm helping you by now, so you can either get out of here and live another day, or you can stay here and probably die with me."

"Why should we trust you?" Doris asked. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because," Colin said. "I've chosen a side."

######################################

Surprisingly, there were no guards at the front gate. Colin quickly ran to the control panel, everyone else close behind him. He punched in a code, and the gate slid open.

"They're right behind us," he said. "So I suggest you get as far away from her as possible, preferably out of the forest. Our searches haven't gone that far yet."

Again, nobody moved; they just stared at him, some - like Doris - angrily. "It's too late to ask me to forgive you, you know."

Colin let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry for the part I played in their deaths," he said. "I really am. I'd ask you to consider this as my way of making amends, but even _I_ know that won't absolve me of everything I've done."

"Who's there?"

"Shit." He took his sidearm out of its holster and aimed at the soldier looking down at them from the top of a nearby barracks building. "Get going. I'm right behind you."

Applejack could hear the uncertainty in his voice. "No you won't. Y'all are lying, ain'tcha?"

Colin looked from Doris, to Isaac, to Goku and Vegeta, to the ponies - all of whom were staring at him with wide, worried eyes. He knew they were taking pity on him - the ponies were, anyway; he wasn't entirely sure about Doris or the other humans - but he knew that this was something he'd have to do; he had to let them go, he had to stay behind and suffer whatever consequences the commanding officers had for traitors.

"Please," he said. "Just get out of here. Get somewhere safe, don't worry about me!" He watched as the ten of them hurried out of the gate, Doris staying behind for a few seconds before following her friends.

A few moments later, the soldier was standing in front of Colin. He was a younger soldier, only a Specialist. What was his name again? Appleby? Abernathy?

_Andrews, Colin. His name is Specialist Andrews. Just look at the name tag, you idiot._

"Sergeant, what are you doing?"

"Get back to your post, soldier," Colin said. "This does not concern you, Specialist Andrews."

"I'm sorry, Sergeant. But you know that I can't do that." He took a whistle out of his pocket.

"If you blow on that whistle, I _will_ shoot you!"

Andrews wasn't listening - either that or he just didn't care - he put the whistle to his lips and blew on it, the shrill whine of the whistle filled the night.

###################################

They all turned back to the complex at the sound of the whistle. They could still see Colin, his pistol drawn, facing another soldier, the same soldier who was now blowing the whistle.

Doris started to run back to the complex. "Colin!"

Isaac grabbed her arm. "Doris, wait! Don't!"

The ponies all grabbed her shirt in their mouths. "They'll kill you too!" Twilight cried.

"We don't want you to die," Fluttershy said.

"No! No, let me go! I have to help Colin! I have to help my brother!"

Colin heard Doris screaming for him. He turned to look at them, his face now sporting a worried look. He glanced towards the controls for the main gate -

And he fired, the bullet destroying the control console and shutting the gate!

"Colin! No!" She broke free of her friends' holds and ran towards the gate, beating on the large concrete slabs with her fists. "Colin! Don't be stupid! COLIN!"

Twlight activated her unicorn magic, the light purple aura forming around Doris's body and and lifting her off the ground, bringing her back, away from the gates.

"Doris, come on! We've gotta get going!"

"NO! NO, I WON'T LEAVE HIM! COLIN! COOOOOOLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIN!"

######################################

She sat against the outer trunk of the library, sobbing loudly for her brother.


	26. Manticore

MANTICORE

IT WAS WELL INTO THE NIGHT BY THE TIME DORIS WOKE UP. SHE WAS LYING face-down on Twilight's bed; the pillow was soaked. Twilight was fast asleep on a nearby air mattress, and Spike was - as expected - sleeping in his little basket-bed.

Slowly, Doris slid off the mattress, gently and quietly placing her feet on the hardwood floor. She took slow, careful steps, walking slowly and lifting her feet over Spike's bed as she made her way over to the dresser mirror. Even in the dim light of the moon filtering in through the curtained window, she could see her reflection - her eyes were red and bloodshot, dried streaks of tears lined her face, and her hair was a complete mess - a crime against fashion, as Rarity would say.

She picked up a brush off the dresser and ran it through her hair, straightening it. She stopped when she felt a stinging in her eyes - more tears she didn't even know she had.

_ Why am I still crying? I thought I had cried all the tears I had to shed._

And then it hit her.

_ It's Colin. These tears are for my brother. I have to know if he's alright. She looked at the nearby clock. It's three in the morning. I must have been crying for at least twelve hours. Do I...Do I really want to go into the EverFree Forest at this time of night?_

_ I don't want to. But I have to ._

##########################################

The only source of light was the beam coming from the flashlight she held in her right hand; in her left she held a stick that she'd torn off of a tree near the entrance to the forest. The flashlight barely helped her see; in fact, it seemed like it was making her visibility worse. She waved the flashlight back and forth, illuminating some trees, the light from the eyes of an owl being reflected in the darkness.

She'd been lucky so far; Fluttershy had told her that the most dangerous creatures in the forest - the timber wolves, cockatrices, manticores, ursas - were mostly nocturnal hunters; they were mainly active at night, and at four in the morning, they would be very hungry. She knew the stick she was carrying wouldn't be enough to ward off a bear the size of a mountain, but it was better than nothing.

_ That's just how it'll be when I get to their complex. This stick won't be much help against guns, but this is the best weapon I've got. It'll have to do - unless I can somehow get my hands on another weapon._

She walked slowly, waving her flashlight left and right as she went. She took her steps carefully, making sure not to make any sticks and leaves crack under her feet - no doubt a predator would be listening for a sound like that. The only downside would be that her trip to the complex would take her longer than she would have liked, and every second meant the difference between life and death for Colin.

_ Why am I even bothering with him? He killed our family! But, he's still my brother, I suppose, and I'd be the true villain if I didn't at least make sure he was safe. Please, Colin, please still be alive._

After about another forty-five minutes of walking - and a few close calls with some serpentine creature, most likely a cockatrice - she made it to the army's complex. But something felt...different. Maybe it was the fact that the gate was open at this time of night.

_ No, not open. It looks more like something forced the gate open, like it was smashed through by something super strong_. Slowly, she approached the gate, the stick raised as the flashlight illuminated a disgusting scene.

A body, near the gate, clearly bloodied and certainly dead. She approached, the flashlight lighting up the body as she got closer.

It was a horrible scene. There was a large puncture wound in the side of the neck, large gashes all over the body, like claw marks, and then there was the face - it looked like it had been chewed off, the torn up pieces of muscle and sinew barely covering up the shattered skull. It even looked like whatever had done this had chewed on the brain as well.

Doris felt vomit rising in her throat. She put her hand over her mouth and swallowed hard, holding back the bile. She felt it seep through her lips and fingers, and couldn't hold it anymore. She turned away from the body and keeled over, opening her mouth and spewing forth a stream of yellowish-green vomit.

She wiped her lips, doing her best to get the horrible taste out of her mouth as she turned back to the body, keeping her eyes off of the mutilated face as she looked at the nametag of the poor soul who had suffered this terrible fate.

_Andrews_. Her eyes glanced down to the holster, where she saw the black handle of a pistol. Slowly, she reached for the gun, pulling it out of the holster. She'd never held a gun before; it felt cold and heavy in her hand - but at least she'd have something better than a stick.

Assuming it was loaded.

She took out the clip; it was fully loaded, fifteen bullets in the clip, a sixteenth in the chamber. She put the clip back into the gun and held it tightly as she stood up and stepped around the body, waving her flashlight around -

Illuminating more carnage. More and more bodies, bloodied and mutilated, some of them like the other body, some totally eviscerated, at least one pulled completely in half. It was sickening, like something seen out of a horror film. She fought hard against the bile that was once again rising up in her throat as she took it all in.

Something had killed these soldiers, killed and eaten them. The damage was fairly recent; whatever had done this was here not even ten hours ago.

_ But Colin? Where's Colin?_

She kept walking in silence, waving the flashlight around and holding the gun out in front of her as she went, until she reached what looked like a garbage dump. There was the usual here - trash bags, discarded food, a dead body -

_ Wait, a dead body?! Please, don't let it be him! Please God, don't -_

She recognized the face, the youthful, boyish face of her brother, his face covered in dirt and grime and with a single bullet hole in the center of his forehead.

Her breath caught in her throat as she pulled her brother's body close to her, his lifeless eyes staring up at her.

_ No._

_ No!_

_ NO!_

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She held her brother close to her, sobbing into the top of his head as the grim realization hit her that her brother was dead, and it was all because of her.

"No. No. Please, God, no," she sobbed. "Colin, no." She hugged him closer, tighter. "I'm sorry, Colin. I'm so sorry. I - I forgive you."

She heard something through her sobbing - footsteps, getting closer. She gently let her brother's body go and turned around, holding the gun out in front of her as another soldier came around the corner. He looked like hell, his face dirty, his body covered in blood.

Doris aimed the gun at his face. "Are you the one who - "

"No, it wasn't me," he said. "I would never do this to my friend, even if I were ordered to. Now please, lower your weapon. I'm not here to kill you. I want to help."

"Help me with what? Whatever killed everyone else here?"

"Yes. And, as for your brother, I'm sorry. I really am. I wanted to stop them, but it was out of my hands. Captain Winters pulled the trigger himself."

Doris slowly lowered her gun. "Who are you?"

"I'm Deon. Under other circumstances, I'd say it was nice to meet you, Doris, but we've got bigger things to worry about. There's a monster in this complex. I think it came from the forest."

"That was your first mistake, Deon," Doris said. "Putting this thing up in the middle of the EverFree Forest was a very bad idea. There are creatures in these woods that you'd only normally see in nightmares. Trust me, I know. Isaac and I have had our run-ins with the timber wolves." She looked back at Colin's body. "Did he - did he say anything before he died?"

"Yes, he did. He wanted me to tell you if I ever saw you that, even though he was certain you wouldn't forgive him, he was going to die with a clear conscience and he was glad that you're still alive."

Doris felt her tears coming back, but she quickly wiped them away, remembering that there was a monster on the loose, maybe more than one. Even so, she couldn't tear herself away from her brother. She walked back over to him and closed his lifeless eyes.

_ When we're done with that monster, I'll be sure to give you a proper burial, big brother._

"Doris, we've got to go," Deon said, his voice barely a whisper. "That monster's still lurking around here, and it won't help your brother if it kills you."

"Yes. You're right."

#########################################

Deon had taken the lead, sweeping left and right with his rifle. He knew that monster, whatever the hell it was, was around here somewhere, and he knew it wasn't alone - he'd seen two of them, and there might be more out there in the EverFree Forest, as Doris had called it. And if Doris was right, then there were a hell of a lot more of them out there, just waiting to come in and get their morning snack.

_Of course she's right, you idiot_, he told himself. _She's been in this place a hell of a lot longer than you have; she knows this place already. All you know is that you're in the middle of a spooky forest in a world populated by colorful talking ponies and with God knows what waiting out there in the woods to tear out your throat. She's basically your guide to this place._

"Deon, do you know what sort of monster did all this?" Doris asked, her voice low.

"I have no idea, some sort of lion," Deon replied. "Only, it had bat wings and a scorpion tail."

Doris gasped. "There's a manticore running around here?!"

"You know what it is?"

"I've never seen one, but yeah, I know what it is. Fluttershy and Applejack have told me and Isaac about them." There was a low rumble nearby. "Deon, please tell me that was your stomach."

"N - no. And it wasn't you, was it?"

"No." Her breath caught in her throat as she realized what that noise was. "Oh my God, the manticore's nearby!"

Deon grabbed her arm. "Come on; we've gotta hide!"

They hurried into a nearby building, what looked like a mess hall; the kitchen, more precisely. Deon turned off the lights - Doris was surprised that the power was still on in this place - and they hid behind a counter. the only sounds were their heavy breathing and their racing hearts.

There was a loud crashing sound as the door was thrown off its hinges, the sound of heavy footfalls following a second later, and the deep, rumbling growl of a lion.

The manticore was in the room with them.

#######################################

Deon could see the monster reflected in the shiny steel surface of a nearby cabinet, even in the dim light. It had the massive body of a lion; sticking out of its shoulders were two large red bat wings, and it had a massive black scorpion tail curling up over its back, venom dripping from the foot-long stinger. Its massive paws were barely able to fit between the wall and the counter as it slowly stepped through the now-broken down door, its nostrils flaring as it sniffed them out.

He slowly slung his rifle over his back and put a hand on Doris's sholder. "Come on," he whispered. "Follow me. And stay low." Doris nodded in response as they crawled along the floor, staying below the countertop, the heavy footfalls of the manticore moving at the same time.

Doris could hear the manticore's massive paws hit the floor; it was moving slowly, like a slasher villain menacingly stalking its next meal. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest as she followed Deon, breathing quickly as her fear continued to grow -

CRASH!

The manticore's massive wings swept along the top of the counter, knocking several metal pots and pans off the steel countertop. Doris let out an involuntary yelp as the steel pots and pans fell onto her, slamming into her head, back, and shoulders.. She and Deon picked up the pace, quickly crawling around the corner of the next counter, Deon going farther than Doris, who pressed her back against the counter, breathing heavily as she listened to the manticore continue its murderous march.

_ Please go away, please go away, please go away!_

She could now smell the monster as it got closer to her hiding place - the nasty stench of a wet dog mixed with a dirty litter box. The heavy footfalls of its massive paws were getting closer and closer by the second.

_ It's going to find me!_

"Hey!"

She glanced to her left, saw Deon standing, waving his arms, screaming at the manticore, which had now turned its attention to him.

"Hey! Over here, you overgrown hairball!" He ducked back down behind the counter.

The manticore let out a low, rumbling growl as it leaped over the counter, it's hind legs only a few inches away from Doris. She winced and slowly slid away from the beast as it pawed at the ground, drooling at Deon, who was crouched next to the cabinets under the sink, looking like he was ready to start running at any moment.

The manticore roared loudly, the roar echoing off every wall in the kitchen, hurting Doris's eardrums, as it charged at Deon. It swung its scorpion tail over its head, the stinger, dripping with venom as it neared Deon -

"Come on. Come at me, bro!"

The tip of its tail punctured the steel cabinet door, denting Deon's reflection.

Deon stood up from his hiding place, having decieved the manticore - a little trick he'd seen in a movie - and kicked the creature in the flank as hard as he could.

"Stupid cat." The manticore managed to pull its tail free of the steel, and turned to face Deon, growling and snarling as it prepared to charge. "Oh shit, that just pissed you off, didn't it?" He slowly backed away, slightly turning his head to look behind him. There was a door close by, a door leading outside.

_I've only got one chance at this_. He turned on his heels and ran out the door, the manticore close behind, its massive body slamming into the door, knocking it off its hinges.

Doris held her breath, listening to the sound of Deon firing his rifle, and then -

Silence. A stunning, deafening silence.

"Deon?" she whispered, her voice barely managing to come out of her throat. "Deon, are you okay?"

No answer.

She felt her heart begin to race, her lungs felt like they were constricting, as a sick sense of dread enveloped her. Slowly, she stood up from behind the counter and carefully walked to the now-destroyed door, the gun held out in front of her. Her hands were shaking, as was the rest of her body, and if she had to shoot at the manticore...She didn't trust her aim, especially since this was the first time she'd even so much as held a gun.

She stepped through the threshold, looking around. She turned to the right, waving the gun in front of her as the now-rising sun was starting to illuminate the entire area; all the carnage she'd seen before now seemed to be much worse as Celestia brought the sun into the sky.

And among the carnage was Deon's now mutilated body, his throat torn out, the puncture wound from the stinger in his left knee, the manticore chewing on his torn out intestines.

_ No._

_ No!_

_ NO!_

"NO!"

She raised the gun at the manticore and fired, the bullet going wide. The beast turned its attention to her, a shred of Deon's flesh dropping from its mouth as it prepared to charge at her. She fired again, and again, the bullet went wide.

The manticore roared.

Doris didn't know what else to do, so she turned and ran, the manticore roaring after her. She kept sprinting, her legs carrying her as fast as they could, leaping over the torn up body of another poor soul -

- and slammed into something. She turned her eyes up, saw that she had run into Princess Celestia!

"Doris?" she asked, worried. "What's the matter? Is everything alright, my dear?"

Doris couldn't help herself; she felt the gun fall from her hand as she threw herself against Celestia, burying her face in the soft white fur of the alicorn's chest, sobbing loudly as the fear and sorrow finally caught up to her. Celestia gently draped her wings around Doris in a motherly fashion and nuzzled her face against Doris's.

"Hush, child. You're safe now."

"Princess!" Doris sobbed. "The monster, it's - it's - "

The roar of the manticore reached their ears as it approached. Doris looked behind her, saw the beast eyeing her and Celestia hungrily.

Celestia used her wings to gently move Doris out of the way and placed herself between the two of them. Her horn began to glow as she flared her wings and spread her front legs, lowering herself into a defensive position. The manticore closed in on her, baring its fangs and claws, its scorpion tail curving up over its head.

"Peace, beast," Celestia said calmly, despite her battle pose. "Be still. You have already caused enough damage to these humans." The manticore growled before roaring in Celestia's face, trying to scare her, but Celestia wasn't budging. "Return to the forest, creature." The manticore roared again and raised its paw, its claws out, ready to slash Celestia.

"Princess! Look out!"

Celestia's wings seemed to flare out even more as she reared up and spoke in a voice so loud Doris felt like her eardrums were going to burst, a voice that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"**BEGONE, BEAST! RETURN TO THE FOREST FROM WHENCE YOU CAME! LEAVE THE HUMANS BE! HARM THEM NO MORE!" **The manticore shrank back, its eyes now wide with fear, its ears flattened against its head as it whimpered, before turning and running back into the forest, disappearing into the darkness.

Doris stared at Celestia, wide-eyed, as the ringing in her ears finally began to fade. She slowly walked over to Celestia; the princess folded her wings back against her body as she put her front hooves back on the ground and the yellow glow surrounding her horn faded away.

"P-P-P-P-Princess? What was th-th-th-that?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Celestia sighed as she put a wing around Doris's shoulders. "Please forgive me, Doris. I haven't had to use the Royal Canterlot Voice in over a thousand years."

There was the sound of running footsteps coming from the forest. Doris quickly picked up the gun and aimed it at the forest as Celestia flared her wings again.

"Doris, is that you?"

Doris lowered the gun. "Isaac?"

A moment later, Isaac came running out of the forest, followed closely by Goku, Vegeta, and the ponies. Doris threw the gun to the ground as she ran to Isaac, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.

"What - what the hell are you doing out here, Doris?" Isaac asked, confused and worried at the same time.

"I - I - " Her voice caught in her throat. "I was worried about Colin. I - I had to come and check up on him."

"And where is he?" Isaac asked. "Is he okay?"

"He's - he's - " She buried her face against his chest, crying. "He's dead! They killed him! And then there was this - there was this manticore, killed everyone else, killed Deon! He - he tried to help me, and the manticore - it, it - "

Isaac held her tighter. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He looked over to Celestia. "Did you help her, Princess?"

"A little bit," Celestia replied. "I thought I smelled death as I was raising the sun, and decided to investigate. I'm sorry about what happened to your fellow humans."

"I'm not," Isaac said. He gently pushed Doris away from him. "In fact, the only one I feel any sympathy for is Colin. That, and the guy who helped Doris."

"Okay, so most of these people here were jerks, but they were still living creatures," Rainbow Dash said. "Even I know that they don't deserve what happened to them."

Fluttershy nodded in agreement, peeking out from behind her bangs. Rarity wiped her mouth with a foreleg - the sight of the mutilated, half-eaten, and eviscerated bodies had been too much for her, and she'd thrown up.

"Well, I guess you're right," Isaac said. "They do deserve a proper burial, at least. Come on, you guys. We've got a lot of work to do."


	27. A World of Darkness

A WORLD OF DARKNESS

THEY'D SPENT THE ENTIRE MORNING AND MOST OF THE AFTERNOON BURYING the bodies - diggin the holes and gently lowering the bodies into the ground. It wasn't easy, as all of the bodies had been mutilated in some fashion, most of them with their chewed-up insides hanging out of their bodies, some missing limbs, and at least three torn totally in half. By the time they were done - it was at least four in the afternoon - they were sweaty, tired, and covered in blood.

"Oh, this will take months to get out of my mane!" Rarity whined.

"Deal with it," Vegeta growled as he unceremoniously tossed a body into a grave. "You can get cleaned up later. Now quit bitching and help us - there's only a few bodies left to go."

A few hours later, the last of the bodies had been lowered into the ground, Colin's body being the last to go.

Applejack walked over to Doris and put a hoof on her arm. "I'm mighty sorry, sugar cube."

Doris knelt down and hugged Applejack. "It's not your fault, Applejack," Doris replied. She picked up two sticks from the ground. "I don't want my brother to be in an unmarked grave." She took the laces off of one of her shoes and used it to tie the sticks together, forming a cross, which she then stuck into the ground on top of the now-covered grave. She stared at the makeshift gravestone, unblinking, even as Applejack nuzzled the side of her face.

"Honestly, Doris," Applejack said. "I'm surprised you're not crying."

"I would be," Doris said glumly, "if I had any tears left."

"You guys!"

Rainbow Dash's voice was coming from a tall building at the center of the complex. They all hurried to meet up with her, and what they saw, they couldn't believe.

"It's - it's just like the one we used to get here," Isaac said breathlessly. It was just like the one he'd seen back in the labs in his world - some sort of computer. The main console was massive, and judging by all the instruments, it was specially designed that way. The only keys were numbers and symbols, but no letters, which was odd. Following the cable from the keyboard, he found himself looking at two large antennae, each one about eight feet tall and ten feet apart.

"What is this thing?" Twilight asked. "I've never seen anything like it before."

"It's a transporter," Isaac replied. "The One World Nation began developing them with the help of the Alten Corporation after the initial merger. It's how Doris and I got to Equestria. This must be how the soldiers got here, too. No doubt they brought this with them so they'd have a way back home." He walked over to the control console. "It's set for home, too."

Something caught Fluttershy's eye, something glowing underneath the console. She walked over to it. It looked like a sphere. She reached out to it with her hoof, pulling it out from under the table. It was a sphere, all right, its yellow surface adorned with two bright orange stars -

"I've found a Dragon Ball!"

"What?!" He took the Dragon Ball from Fluttershy. "The Two-Star Dragon Ball! Fluttershy, you are awesome."

Fluttershy smiled, her cheeks turning a light shade of red. "I-i-it was nothing, really," she squeaked. "I just saw it lying there."

"That means there's only one more left to find!" Doris cheered.

"There's a silver lining in all of this," Isaac said. He looked at the transporter. "And I have a hunch that the last one is through there. And the one who has it is probably the one responsible for this whole mess." He stuffed the Dragon Ball into the pocket of his jacket and walked over to the transporter's control console.

"What are you doing?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I'm going back," Isaac replied. "I'm going to get that last Dragon Ball and I'm going to make my wish."

"Whoa there, pardner," Applejack said. She grabbed the hem of Isaac's jacket in her mouth and pulled him away from the console. "Ya ain't goin' nowhere without us."

"Yeah," Twilight added. "Besides, I wanna go back and get some notebook so I can write down what we see in your world."

"Can we at least go get cleaned up first?" Rarity asked. "I am not going on an epic adventure to another world with my mane dirty and drenched in dried blood."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "You just _have_ to complain about something, don't you?" He was rewarded with a hard buck to the shins - a hard buck delivered by Rarity. "Ouch! Didn't think you had it in you."

"Oh be quiet, you brute," Rarity growled.

"You guys, that's enough!" Isaac yelled. "I think Rarity's right. Besides, we'd better get some rest before we go." He looked over to Doris. "Some of us need it more than others."

######################################

"Holy cow, Twily, think you got enough notebooks?" Goku asked as Twilight levitated another notebook into her saddlebags.

It had been two days since their encounter with the soldiers; they were now back in Ponyville, cleaned and rested up, and were preparing to make the trip through the transporter - though Twilight had insisted that they visit Canterlot first to pick up the Elements of Harmony.

"There's no such thing as too many notebooks," Twilight said as she levitated yet another notebook into her saddlebags. "Besides, when we come back, I'll have plenty of note to make a nice long report to the princess about our travels."

"Instead of bringing along flimsy notebooks, you should be more concerned with weapons," Vegeta growled. He was once again leaning against a wall - a shelf, in this case - with his arms crossed. "There's no way a bunch of paper will be of any use against a gun."

"Well, that's why we're going up to Canterlot," Twilight replied. "To get the Elements of Harmony."

Vegeta scoffed. "Yeah, like a bunch of pretty jewelry will help you."

Twilght glared at him. "They can, they have, and they will," she hissed. "Nightmare Moon, Discord, Sephiroth, the Decepticons - if it weren't for the Elements of Harmony, Equestria would have fallen into darkness long ago."

"Like it isn't starting too already?" Twilight used her magic to throw a book at Vegeta. The book smacked against his head. "Fine, I'll shut up. God, and I thought Bulma was bad."

Twilight ignored him as she put one last notebook into her saddlebag and sealed it shut. "There. Good to go. All we have to do now is get to the train station and wait for everypony else."

######################################

"But why can't I come along?" Apple Bloom whined. "I want to go on an epic adventure with you guys too!" She stomped a hoof on the floor. "It's just not fair!"

Applejack put a bottle of apple juice into her saddlebag and sealed the bag shut. "Sorry, little sis, but you're way too young to be going to other worlds."

"Besides," Isaac added. "Our world is _way_ too dangerous for you. There are too many...bad people there."

"Isaac, don't beat around the bush," Apple Bloom said. "I'm eight years old, I think I can handle whatever you have to say."

"No way, Bloomer," Applejack said.

"No, Applejack, she's right," Isaac said. "Listen, Apple Bloom - in my world, not everyone is as friendly as me or Doris. Those bad people, they won't hesitate to hurt you. And if given the chance, they'll kill you." He scooped the little filly up in his arms. "That's the last thing any of us want to happen to you or the other Cutie Mark Crusaders."

"Oh. Okay."

Isaac lightly kissed Apple Bloom's forehead and put her back on the ground. "We've still got to prepare for the trip, Apple Bloom, so run along and play. And don't worry about your sister or her friends - we'll keep an eye on them."

"Do you promise?" Apple Bloom asked.

"We promise, honey," Doris said. She turned to Applejack. "Ready?"

"In a sec," Applejack said. She put her hat on her head. "'Kay. Now I'm ready."

Isaac picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulders. "So we're meeting everyone at the train station, right?" he asked.

"Darn tootin'," Applejack replied. "We'd better get our cabooses movin' if we don't wanna be late." She took a deep breath as she approached the door. "Gotta tell ya, though, I'm a might nervous. I ain't never been to another world before; I don't know what to expect."

"I can understand that," Isaac said. "You're going somewhere new, someplace you've never been to before. It's only natural that you'd be feeling a little bit of trepedation. Especially considering what happened the other day." He looked at the nearby clock. "But we'll worry about that later. We've gotta get moving if we don't want to be late."

They walked out the door and made their way to the train station. Despite all the apple juice she'd brought along - and drank this morning - her throat was feeling dry. She guessed it was from all the nervousness she was feeling. She could feel her stomach notting as they approached the platform, where everyone else was already waiting for them, each of them reacting to the situation in different ways - Twilight was magically using a quill to write in a notebook; Rainbow Dash was doing push-ups with her wings; Rarity was magically running a brush through her hair (knowing her, she'd want to look "stylish" for this trip); Fluttershy was looking nervous as usual; and Pinkie Pie, she was happily bouncing up and down.

"We're actually going to another world!" she happily chirped. "Ooh, I'm so nervoucited!"

"You _do_ realize that that's not a real word, right Pinkie?" Isaac asked.

"When did you suddenly turn into a dictionary?" Vegeta growled as he pushed off of the tree he was leaning against. "Let's just get this over with."

Rarity put her brush back into her saddlebag. "Well, what do you think?" she asked, casually flipping her mane with a hoof. "Do I look fabulous enough for this trip?"

"That won't last long," Isaac said. "Especially when it starts raining."

"Well, what's wrong with a little rain?" Fluttershy asked. "It makes the air smell really good afterwards."

"It's acid rain, Fluttershy," Doris replied. "If enough of that stuff gets onto you, it'll burn right through your flesh." Fluttershy shrunk back, hiding her face behind her bangs. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh, it - it's okay," Fluttershy squeaked.

The train pulled into the station. Isaac clenched his fist. "That's enough talk, everybody. Let's get moving. We've got a world to save."

##########################################

The train finally pulled into Canterlot Station. They all stretched their legs as they climbed off the train, taking deep breaths as they breathed in the clean mountain air. They started making their way to the palace, Twilight asking all sorts of questions on the way.

"What's the weather like? Are there going to be a lot of humans in one place? What sort of dangers are we going to have to watch out for? Are there ponies there too? Do pegasi control the weather? Is there an alicorn princess to raise the sun and the moon?"

"Twilight, enough questions!" Isaac snapped. "They'll be answered when we get there!" Twilight shrank back. "I'm sorry, Twilight. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

"No, it's - it's okay," Twilight said. "I understand. I'm the one who should be apologizing, asking you all those questions that you don't want to answer."

Isaac shook his head, and they continued walking in silence, until they finally arrived at the palace. The two alicorns were waiting for them, warm smiles gracing their faces.

"Hello, my friends," Celestia said. "Are you all ready for the task that lies ahead of you?"

"We are, Princess Celestia," Twilight replied.

"This task will be a difficult one, I hope you understand," Celestia said. "None in Equestria have ever travelled to another world. Soon, you all will know more about the human world than even I do."

"We know, Princess. And we're ready."

A few moments later, the princesses had led them to the hall with the Elements of Harmony. Celestia opened the wall, revealing the jewel-encrusted case. She magically opened the cast and passed each Element on to its rightful bearer.

Luna walked over to Doris and put a hoof on her shoulder. "We wish to extend our condolences, child. We know that thou has suffered a terrible loss."

"It's okay, Your Highness," Doris said. "The ones responsible are dead. Well, not all of them, anyway."

"And Princess Celestia, I'll be sure to give you my report on the human world once we return," Twilight said as she showed Celestia her notebooks. "I'm sure I'll be able to gather quite a bit of information." She turned to Isaac. "Assuming I'll have the time to do so, of course."

"Yeah. Well, when _you_ six get back."

"What do you mean, Isaac?" Rarity asked.

Isaac sighed. "We humans won't be coming back to Equestria. Once we find that last Dragon Ball and make the wish, we'll still have a lot of rebuilding to do, I'm sure."

"But, I thought you liked it here?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"We do," Doris said. "We love it here. This place is so beautiful and pure. It's just that - "

"It's not where we belong," Isaac finished. He turned back to Luna and Celestia and bowed. "It's been an honor, Your Majesties."

Celestia walked towards him and Doris, her motherly smile seeming to grow as she draped her wings around them and pulled them in for a light hug.

"You two will always be welcomed in Equestria."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Doris said.

Vegeta cleared his throat. "Can we get going now? We got what we needed, so let's get moving."

"Vegeta's right," Isaac said as Celestia let him and Doris go. "We need to be off now." He bowed again. "Goodbye, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna."

###########################################

The swirling blue vortex cast an eerie glow on the now-dark room. For a while, nobody moved, their eyes fixated on the portal.

"It kind of looks like a Ground Bridge," Twilight said as she used her quill to write in her notebook. "I can't wait to see what's on the other side! This is so exciting!"

"You shouldn't be excited, Twilight," Isaac said. He took a step towards the vortex and reached out to it with his hand.

"So what are we waiting for?" Vegeta asked. "Let's get moving."

Isaac lowered his arm. He wanted to go through, he really did. But he also didn't want to leave Equestria. He and Doris had had so much fun here - despite some of the things that had happened, such as Discord and the changelings - and they'd felt like they had found a home, a place of peace and light. But then the past couple of days happened, the One World Nation finding Equestira. He knew that they had to go through the vortex, knew that they had to stop the One World Nation from ever coming to Equestria again - not to mention fixing everything they had destroyed.

He felt something touch his arm - Doirs, lightly placing a hand on him. She smiled at him; he could see that she was thinking the same thing he was - that this was something they needed to do.

_DORIS: This is the darkest night_

_Stars have all faded away_

_Quiet upon this world_

_Through the clouds, there is a light_

_We will find our way_

_DORIS AND ISAAC: I would die for you_

_Cross the sky for you_

_I will send out a light burning for you alone_

_You're all I need_

_You set me free_

_And this fire will guide you home_

_ISAAC: There is an open door_

_Somehow it feels so familiar_

_We have been here before_

_Through this old forgotten fight_

_There must be a way_

_DORIS AND ISAAC: I would die for you_

_Cross the sky for you_

_I will send out a light burning for you alone_

_You're all I need_

_You set me free_

_And this fire will guide you home_

_Where our hearts are wide open_

_Where our bond is unbroken_

_DORIS: I would die for you_

_Cross the sky for you_

_I will send out a light burning for you alone_

_DORIS AND ISAAC: I would die for you_

_Cross the sky for you_

_I will send out a light burning for you alone_

_You're all I need_

_You set me free_

_I would die for you_

_Cross the sky for you_

_I will wait for you_

_And I'll stay with you_

_You're all I need_

_I would die for you_

_Cross the sky for you_

_I will wait for you_

_You set me free_

_Set me free_

_And this fire will guide you home_

Rainbow Dash squeezed between them, hovering in the air as she pushed them apart with her front hooves. "Okay, okay, enough with the singing, didn't you say we have a world to save?"

"You're right, Rainbow," Isaac said. "But, are you sure you girls want to do this? There's a very high chance - "

"That we all might wind up dead, yes we know," Twilight said. "But it doesn't matter. We're all in this together. In friendship."

Isaac felt a smile grace his face. "Thank you, Twilight Sparkle." He turned to the other ponies, as well as Doris, Goku, and Vegeta. "Thank you all." He turned back to the vortex. "Okay. Let's do this."

Together, they stepped through the vortex.

##########################################

The first thing Twilight noticed when she stepped through the vortex was just how..._lifeless_ everything seemed. Dull gray, that was the only color she could see, not counting the overgrowth that was slowly overtaking all the buildings in sight. The sky was covered in dark gray clouds, swirling high above their heads like the clouds of a hurricane, just without the high winds and fierce rains. Shards of shattered glass and broken gravel littered the ground, crunching beneath her hooves as she walked. Tall buildings, several vehicles, all dilapidated, all covered in moss and vines, their color corroded away with age and what she could only guess was that acid rain Isaac had mentioned back in Ponyville. And then there was that smell - oh, _Celestia_, that horrible stench! She wrinkled her nose as it filtered into her nostrils; it smelled like, like...Twilight didn't know how to describe that stench, other than to say that it was by far the worst thing she'd ever smelled.

_Still, we actually did it. We actually left Equestria!_ She couldn't help but smile. "I don't believe it. We're really in another world!"

Isaac put a hand on her back. "I'm sorry, Twilight. This isn't how you were supposed to see my home."

Twilight's smile faded as she remembered why they had come here - to help their human friends save this world from the evil that had done - _this_, everything she could see, everything she could smell; it was the result of the evil and unchecked power of the human race.

Rarity wrinkled her nose and held a hoof over her mouth. "My word, what _is_ that horrible stench?"

"It's all the pollution," Doris replied. She pointed to a pair of smokestacks in the distance, billows of smoke and smog rising out of them. "Because of that. Those factories have been pumping out smog for years. It's why those clouds are the way they are."

"I think I can take care of those things," Rainbow Dash said, flapping her wings. She took to the air -

- only to be brought back to the ground, her tail gripped in Applejack's mouth.

"Don't even think about it," Applejack said. She spit Rainbow's tail out of her mouth. "Those clouds don't look like the clouds in Equestria. And besides, that gunk them factories are pumpin' out - who knows what's in those clouds."

"Applejack's right," Isaac said. "Besides, even if those clouds weren't full of God knows what, they don't operate like the clouds in Equestria. We don't have pegasi to move them around." He took his phone out of his pocket, for the first time in weeks. He pressed the button, activating the holo-map - it was weak; the batteries were almost dead, just as they were when he and Doris first ended up in Equestria.

"So, where do we go from here?" Doris asked.

"I think our best bet to find the Dragon Ball is to go to the tower," Isaac replied.

"What, the old UN Tower?"

"Yeah. You know the one." He turned off his phone and put it back into his pocket. "Looks like we've got a lot of walking ahead of us. But we'd better be careful; aside from the soldiers and the loyalists, there are also wild animals, and they'll defend themselves violently if they feel threatened."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll be able to make them understand that we mean them no harm," Fluttershy said.

"Forget it, Fluttershy," Vegeta said. "Unless, of course, you _want_ to have your throat torn out." Fluttershy shrank back, fear rising up inside of her.

"Nice, Vegeta," Goku said.

"Come on, you guys," Isaac said. "It's time to get serious."

With their destination in mind, they started walking.


	28. The Resistance

THE RESISTANCE

APPLEJACK PASSED OUT BOTTLES OF APPLE JUICE; THEY'D STOPPED FOR A break near a river. They had been walking for nearly two hours - it was now six in the evening - and they were starting to feel tired. It wouldn't be long until they had to find a place to sleep for the night, especially this close to the central hub for the One World Nation.

Rarity used her magic to take a drink of apple juice. She turned to look at the river - which smelled something horrible.

"If only the water was a bit more sparkling," she said. "Don't get me wrong, I like apple juice just fine, but I'd rather have some water."

"You don't want _that_ water," Doris said. "Trust me. There's all sorts of diseases in that water, and the last thing you want is to end up with dyssentery - and that's the least of your problems."

"Why is the river so dirty, anyway?" Applejack asked as she walked over to it. "It looks muddier than a pig pen on a hot summer's day."

Almost as if to answer her question, something floated to the surface of the river - a dead human body, bloated, decomposing, the worst stench she'd ever smelt coming off of the corpse and filling her nose.

She stumbled back. "Ugh. Sorry I asked."

"W-w-w-w-w-what is that doing in the river?" Fluttershy asked, her voice no more than a timid squeak.

"He's definitely a victim of the One World Nation," Isaac said. "And he looks fairly recent; he's been dead for at least a few weeks."

"I still don't understand," Twilight said, magically levitating her quill and writing in her notebook.

"Well, when the One World Nation ran out of room in their mass graves, they started dumping the bodies wherever they could," Doris explained. "That includes the rivers and lakes. That's why the water's not safe to drink; as soon as a dead body hits the water, the water becomes poisoned, full of all sorts of diseases - dyssentery, strep, staph, worms, and God knows what else. That's why we told you not to drink the water; some of those diseases would kill you in less than an hour."

"Eww," Twilight cringed. She put her quill and notebook back in her saddlebag and turned to Applejack. "Good thing you brought all that apple juice."

There was a clap of thunder. They all turned to the sky, Isaac's face filling with dread as he realized what was coming.

"Horse pajamas," he cursed. "It's about to start raining. We have to get under cover, now."

"What cover?" Doris asked. "I don't see anything around us."

Isaac quickly looked around. "That supermarket over there; at least it's got a roof. Come one!"

They ran towards the supermarket, just as the first few drops of rain started to fall. A drop of rain landed on Twilight's ear; she felt as much as smelled the acid in the water burning through her fur and skin.

Doris pulled on the doors of the supermarket; they were locked. No surprise there. She took off her shoe and smashed through the glass, making an entrance. One by one, they all ran through the newly-made door, just as the rain really started to fall.

The inside of the supermarket was dark; the power had been turned off some time ago. Isaac found a power box near the front door and flipped a switch, turning on the lights; another switch lowered the aluminum shutters, blocking out the rain.

With the lights now on, they took a moment to observe their new surroundings - a majority of the shelves were bare, the store having been ransacked months ago. There were still a few things on the shelves - bottled water, drink mixes, canned fruit, and rotting produce, the skin of the fruit a sick dark brown, most of the fruit was shrivelled, and there were fruit flies buzzing all around it. Not to mention the stench of the fruit that, while weak, was still reaching their noses.

Ironically enough, the sound of the acid rain pounding on the roof of the supermarket was quite soothing.

Twilight rubbed her ear with her hoof; the burning sensation she'd felt when that rain hit her ear had dulled down to a mild, yet annoying, sting. She turned to Isaac.

"So, now what?"

"Well, all we can do is wait out the storm," Isaac replied. "But that might take a while. I've seen these storms last for weeks on end."

"You mean, we might be stuck in this building for weeks?" Rarity asked. "Ugh, that is _not_ going to be pleasant."

"Relax, Rarity. The week-long storms don't happen that often anyway," Isaac said. "And on the plus side, at least we've got some shelter for the night."

Rarity ran a hoof across the hard concrete floor. "Do you honestly expect me to lay on this hard floor? It hardly seems comfortable."

"Hey, at least it's dry," Doris replied. "And there's no broken glass or cracked gravel, either. We'll just have to make the most of it." She heard her stomach growl. "And find some dinner."

Rarity let out a defeated sigh; she knew Doris was right, of course.

Isaac walked down an aisle. He picked up a can of peaches. There was a fine layer of dust on the metal can; he brushed it off and looked for a way to open it. Nothing - the can was smooth, no way of removing the lid.

_Wish I still had my knife._ He kept walking, looking for more canned foods.

"Find anything, Isaac?" Doris called from the front of the store.

"Not enough for everyone," Isaac replied. "Hell, I only found one can of peaches. Everything else is canned beef, and I know the ponies aren't going to eat that."

Rainbow Dash gagged and stuck out her tongue. "Meat? Ugh. No thank you."

"Hey, why didn't y'all just ask?" Applejack asked. She took her saddlebags off of her back and placed them on the ground, opening them and revealing several large red apples. "We'll just chew on some apples." She started passing out apples. "Though there's only enough for all of us just for tonight, though. Sorry, y'all."

"Don't worry, about it, Applejack," Doris said as she took a bite out of her apple.

For a while, nobody spoke, the only sounds being the crunch of apples and the drumming of rain on the roof. They were all tired, having been walking most of the day, dodging wild animals and just barely missing an encounter with a group of soldiers. And with the rain falling down outside, there wasn't much else they could do besides sit in here and wait.

A few hours later, they'd all fallen asleep, using their bags as pillows as they silently waited for morning.

#######################################

It was faint, but that was definitely the sound of gunshots.

They all quickly woke up as the distant _**RATATATATATATATATATATA**_ of machine gun fire filled the air.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know, but it can't be good," Isaac replied. "But we should be safe in here."

_**KABOOM!**_

A piece of the steel shutter was blowin off in an explosion of fire and metal, revealing a scene of carnage outside. There were two groups of people shooting at each other - one group was some soldiers from the armies, the other group was made up of people in normal clothes. The soldiers were armed not only with machine guns and rifles, but also grenades and rockets; the other people just had rifles and machine guns. Several people from both sides were on the ground, either dead or dying after getting shot; at least one person had had his head blown clean off at the top, revealing the sick sinew underneath.

"Who are those people?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I think - I think those are resistance fighters," Isaac replied.

"But, I thought you said all the resistance fighters had been killed off?" Twilight asked.

"I thought they had been!"

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and took to the air. "We should go out there and help them out!"

"Whoa, hold on there, Dashie," Goku said. "They don't know you like we do."

"He's right," Isaac added. "To them, you'll be more genetic experiments from the labs. The best thing to do now is to just hang back."

Two figures peeked out from the side of the now-blown out shutter, both dressed in camouflage fatigues and armed with assault rifles.

_The soldiers are trying to flank the resistance!_ Isaac realized. He charged at the soldiers, tackling one of them to the ground. They struggled for the gun, rolling on the ground as Isaac tried to wrench the weapon from the soldier's hands. Isaac punched the soldier in the face, drawing blood from his nose and mouth. He reached for the soldier's knife, taking it out of its sheath, and drove the blade into the soldier's chest; he felt the blade tear through the soldier's sternum and heard a slight _pop_ as it punctured his heart.

The soldier let out one final gasp before falling limp.

Isaac stood up, still holding the soldier's knife; the other soldier was also on the ground, his neck having been snapped by Vegeta. A quick look down towards the battle told them that the rest of the soldiers had all been killed, the only ones standing now were three resistance fighters.

_Just three? I could have sworn I'd seen five before._

"That's it?" Doris asked. "They're the only ones left?"

Before Isaac could respond, Pinkie Pie took a deep breath and called down to them: "HELLOOOOOOO OVEEERRRRR THEEEERRRRRRREEEEEEE!"

"Pinkie Pie!"

Pinkie Pie's loud greeting had already gotten the attention of the resistance fighters; they slowly made their way towards them, weapons ready just in case.

"Okay, guys, be cool," Isaac said.

"Oh, I'll be cool," Vegeta replied. "Just as long as they don't start shooting at me."

One of the resistance fighters, a tall young man in his mid-twenties, approached them, keeping his finger on the trigger of his rifle. "Who the hell are you?"

"It's okay, we're not soldiers," Isaac said.

"If you're not soldiers," the man said, "then why the hell are those things with you?" He gestured towards the ponies. "More freaks from the labs?"

"First off, they are _not_ freaks," Isaac growled. "And they're not from the labs."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"He's telling you the truth," Twilight said.

"I'm going to pretend that thing is not talking to me."

"Good luck with that," Isaac replied. "Especially with Pinkie Pie."

As if to drive the point home, Pinkie Pie started spouting off random words. "Chimmeycherry, cherry chonga, chimmeycherry, cherry chonga - what sounds funnier? How about pickle barrel? Kumquat? Pickle barrel kumquat, pickle barrel kumquat - "

"Okay, okay, I get it! Now shut up!"

"Told you."

"Okay, fine, but that doesn't answer my first question. Who are you people?"

"My name's Isaac. My friends here are Doris, Goku, Vegeta, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. Listen, we need to get to the old UN tower. We think we might be able to end all of this there. Besides, they have something we're looking for, I'm sure of it."

"I'm Troy. And, are you sure you want to do that? You know that's where the One World Nation is based out of now, right? That place will be crawling with soldiers."

"I don't care."

"Troy!" The other two resistance fighters came running over to him.

"Jerry, Greg, what's wrong?"

"Bad news, Troy," Greg said. "Billy and Tom didn't make it."

Troy clenched his fists. "Damn it. That's five people we've lost in the past two weeks. If this shit keeps up, there won't be any of us left."

"Troy, we gotta get outta here," Billy said. "No doubt they'll be sending another group of soldiers out to look for these guys."

"Yeah, you're right." He turned to Isaac and his friends. "Come with us, we'll take you to our hideout."

#################################################

They could hear the army vehicles approaching as they ran down the street. Isaac was carrying Rarity - she'd slipped and fallen on the gravel. They kept going, following Troy down the street until they came to an old car.

"This is your hideout? A car?" Twilight asked.

Troy lifted the trunk open, revealing a ladder that led down into a tunnel. "Come on, hurry!" One by one, they climbed down the ladder, until only Isaac and Rarity were left.

"I simply refuse to climb into that hole," Rarity said.

"Rarity, you don't have a choice," Isaac replied. "Unless you want those soldiers to catch you."

"Oh. I see your point." She quickly jumped into the hole, Isaac following close behind and shutting the trunk of the car as he descended the ladder, darkening the tunnel.

"Great. Perfect," Vegeta groaned. "Just how the hell are we supposed to find your hideout when I can't even see an inch in front of me?" Troy, Jerry, and Greg took some flashlights out of their packs and turned them on, illuminating a tunnel that seemed to be carved right out of the earth, with steel beams every few yards supporting the roof. "Oh."

"Come on; our hideout's a short walk from here," Troy said. They started walking down the tunnel. "We built these tunnels just after this whole mess began, about fifteen years ago - we knew there was something behind that whole 'bring an end to all wars' BS they fed us. Over the years, we've taken in all sorts of refugees and other resistance fighters, as well as people like you, who were looking for a way to end all this. But things aren't exactly going as well as we'd hoped they would."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked; she was once again taking down notes.

"Well, first off, could you not do that?" Troy asked. "What if the enemy gets their hands on those notes?"

"He's got a point, Twilight," Doris said. "I know you want to make that report for Princess Celestia, but there are times where it's better to just not write anything."

"Oh. Okay, I understand." She put her quill and notebook back into her saddlebag as they continued walking.

"So, what exactly were you guys doing out there?" Goku asked.

"Supply run," Jerry replied. "Unfortunately, most of the stuf we'd picked up was lost with Billy and Tom."

"Oh. I'm sorry about your friends," Fluttershy said.

"That happens," Troy said, totally deadpan.

"What do you mean, that happens?" Twilight snapped. "Weren't they your friends? You can just blow off the deaths of your friends like that?"

"I've seen plenty of my friends die over the years, Twilight Sparkle," Troy replied. "It doesn't affect me anymore. Although, there are a few people their deaths will affect."

"Did they have families?" Doris asked.

"No. No, they didn't," Troy said. "None of us here do. But there were a lot of people they were really close with."

They made it to a large metal door. Troy pushed it open, revealing a large room on the other side, full of people - not a lot of people, but more humans than the ponies had ever seen; young children, adults, elderly people, there must have been at least thirty people in this room, the adults and the elderly sitting at tables, either eating or playing card games, the children running around and playing with a ball.

"There were over five hundred of us when this whole thing began," Troy explained. "But over time, due to the soldiers and disease, those numbers began to dwindle, and now, there's less than fifty of us here, mostly children. And at the rate things have been going, we're not going to be able to survive the next year."

The ball bounced away from the group of children. Twilight put out a hoof, stopping it as a little girl came running over. She stooped down to pick up the ball, noticing Twilight's leg on the sphere; she slowly looked up at Twilight, who was smiling sweetly.

"Hello there," Twilight said.

The little girl turned back to the other kids. "Hey everyone! Come look at the pretty ponies!"

"Uh oh," Rainbow Dash said as the kids started running towards them. "STAMPEDE!"

The kids, boys and girls alike, all under the age of ten, crowded around the six ponies, petting their fur; for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, they were having their wings lightly pulled open.

"Check it out! These two have wings!"

"Wow, real unicorns!"

"This one looks like a princess!"

Twilight used her magic to levitate her Element of Harmony - her tiara - off of her head and gently placed it on the head of a nearby little girl. "There you go," she said. "Now you're the princess."

A little boy had climbed onto Applejack's back and was now wearing her hat; Applejack was bucking lightly, like a rodeo horse. "Yee-haw! Just like a regular cowboy!"

Another little boy was sitting on Rainbow Dash's back. She flexed her wings. "You wanna fly, squirt? Okay, hold on." She took to the air, flying low and slow so the boy didn't fall off.

Rarity activated her unicorn magic, her horn - and the clothes of a small group of kids - glowing with a light blue aura. "Here, darlings, let me fix those holes for you." The holes magically disappeared. "There. Much better."

Pinkie Pie was making silly faces to a few children. One of the little boys laughed. "I like you. You're silly."

Fluttershy was snuggling with several kids. "So cute."

Troy watched with amazement as the children played and laughed with the six ponies. "Well, there's something you don't see everyday."

"You mean the ponies? Yeah, I don't blame you," Isaac said.

"No, not just that," Troy said. "This is the first time I've head these kids laughing and playing in a long time."

"Yeah, they have that effect on people," Doris said, glancing at Isaac out of the corner of her eye. As she looked at Isaac, she noticed a lone boy, the same age as the other kids, sitting alone at a table, his head resting on top of his arms. "What about him?"

"Who, Scottie? I haven't heard him so much as speak other than to say his name," Troy replied. "His entire family was killed by the One World Nation. We found him and brought him here. That was over a year ago."

"Poor kid," Goku said. "Maybe he should go eat something; that always cheers me up."

Twilight had also taken notice of the little boy. She gently pushed her way past the kids she was playing with and made her way over to him. He only responded to her when she put a hoof on his shoulder; he turned to look at her, and she saw his eyes -

_They look so sad. Like there's nothing in there at all. No life, no emotion, nothing._ She smiled at him. "Hello, Scottie," she said. "My name is Twilight Sparkle." Scottie didn't say anything. She pulled him in for a light hug. "I'm so sorry about your family, Scottie. But you have friends here, friends who will help you to be strong. Let your friends into your heart, Scottie. Let them heal you." She could feel the wet tears as they formed in Scottie's eyes. She gently released him. "Promise me that you'll be strong, and that you'll let your friends into your heart."

Scottie wiped his tears and for the first time in over a year, he spoke.

"I promise, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight smiled warmly at him, just as Princess Celestia would do for her when she was just a filly and beginning her lessons in magic, before turning and going back to her friends.

"That was amazing," Troy said. "You actually got that kid to talk. And you've all gotten these kids laughing and smiling. I was starting to think they never would."

"Like I said," Doris said, "they have that effect on people."

"If only that effect would be passed on to everyone else," Troy said blissfully. "Everything's so gloomy, but to be honest, now that the kids are smiling, I think we've found that tiny ray of hope we've been looking for. I just wish the other adults would feel the same way."

Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin with her hoof. "Hmm. I think I can fix that problem."

"Hey, the kids might have been laughing and playing with you, but these are adults we're talking about," Troy said. "To them, you'll just be a pink pony who smells like cotton candy and looks like she jumped out of a little kid's Satruday morning cartoon."

"Just let her do her thing," Isaac told him. " I think you'll be surprised. Again."

Pinkie Pie trotted to the front of the room, wary eyes following her, not knowing what to make of the pink pony. Once she got to the front of the room, she turned to face the crowd and stood up on her hind legs, spreading her front legs in a Y-fashion.

"Come on, folks! I wanna see you smile!" The only response she got was a bunch of whispered murmurs. "Okay, then. This calls for drastic action - Pinkie Pie Style! Step One: Tell them to smile. That didn't work. So, moving on to Step Two: Breaking out into random song!"

Troy leaned over to Isaac. "Tell me she won't."

"She will."

And that's exactly what she did.

_PINKIE PIE: My name is Pinkie Pie (Hello!)_

_And I am here to say (How ya doin'?)_

_I'm gonna make you smile and I will brighten up your day_

_It doesn't matter now (What's up?)_

_If you are sad or blue (Howdy!)_

_'Cause cheering up my friends is just what Pinkie's here to do_

_'Cause I love to make you smile, smile, smile_

_Yes I do_

_It fills the world with sunshine all the while_

_Yes it does_

_'Cause all I really need's a smile, smile, smile_

_From these happy friends of mine_

_I like to see you grin (Awesome!)_

_I love to see you beam (Rock on!)_

_The corners of your mouth turned up is always Pinkie's dream (Hoof bump!)_

_But if you're kind of worried_

_And your face has made a frown_

_I'll work real hard and do my best to turn that sad frown upside down_

_'Cause I love to make you grin, grin, grin_

_Yes I do_

_Bust it out from ear to ear let it begin_

_Just give me a joyful grin, grin, grin_

_And you fill me with good cheer_

_It's true some days are dark and lonely_

_And maybe you feel sad_

_But Pinkie will be there to show you that it isn't that bad_

_There's one thing that makes me happy and makes my whole life worthwhile_

_And that's when I talk to my friends and get them to smile_

_I really am so happy_

_Your smile fills me with glee_

_I give a smile I get a smile_

_And that's so special to me_

_'Cause I love to see you beam, beam, beam_

_Yes I do_

_Tell me what more can I say_

_To make you see_

_That I do_

_It makes me happy when you beam, beam, beam_

_Yes it always makes my day_

_Come on everybody, smile, smile, smile_

_Fill the world up with sunshine, sunshine_

_All I really need's a smile, smile, smile_

_From these happy friends of mine_

_PINKIE PIE AND THE CHILDREN: Come on everybody smile, smile, smile_

_Fill the world up with sunshine, sunshine_

_All I really need's a smile, smile, smile_

_From these happy friends of mine_

_PINKIE PIE: Yes the perfect gift for me _

_Is a smile as wide as a mile _

_To make me happy as can be _

_Smile, smile, smile, smile, smile_

_Come on and smile_

_Come on and smile_

That seemed to do the trick, as everyone in the room was now smiling.

_Works every time,_ Pinkie Pie thought as she proudly walked back to her friends, who were now joined by another human, this one a much older man than Troy and his group, with thick brown hair and deep set eyes. He didn't look mean, but even Pinkie could feel that this man had a huge burden to bear on his shoulders. "Hello," she said cheerfully.

"These things really do talk, don't they, Troy?"

"They sure do, Charlie," Troy said. "You guys, meet our leader, Charlie Benson."

"A pleasure," Isaac said. "Look, no offense, but I think we've wasted enough time here. We have to get to that tower."

"What's the rush?" Charlie asked. "Looking to die so soon?"

"No, I'm looking to end this once and for all," Isaac said. "Besides, they may have something I need."

"Wait a second," Charlie said, examining Isaac and Doris closely. "Aren't you the kids who escaped from the labs a few years back? Last I heard you dropped off the face of the earth."

"That's because they were with us in our world," Twilight said.

"Huh. So, you really think you can fix all this, kid?"

"I know I can," Isaac said. "Once I get that last Dragon Ball and make my wish, everything will be back to the way it was before."

"Dragon Ball, huh? Now that you mention it, I think I heard one of those high-and-mighty snobs in the government talking about those stones."

"Really? What did they say? Do you know where we can find it?"

Charlie didn't respond. At least, not for a moment. "This is something best discussed in private. Come with me to my quarters; we'll talk there."

##############################################

Isaac didn't know what to make of Charlie, exactly. He seemed like a decent person, the type of leader who always put the best interest of his charges before his own, but it also seemed like he was hiding something, like there was something deep inside of him that he didn't want anyone to know about. Maybe it was something personal, maybe Charlie had experienced a tragedy a long time ago, something he never fully got over - _I know the feeling_, Isaac thought - but either way, Isaac couldn't quite get a good read on the older man.

He led them to his room, a decent-sized room set up like a small office - there was a cot on the far wall; on the left wall was a table with a map laid out over it, on the right wall was a backpack, an ammo vest, and a rack for an assault rifle, which was currently occupied by said assault rifle. The small lamp on the map table barely lit the room, but it would have to do for now.

Charlie sat down at the map table. He gestured to the cot. "Take a seat. You must be tired."

"I know I am," Applejack said as she planted her rump on the ground in a dog-like fashion. "My dogs are barkin'."

Everyone else sat down, the humans on the cot and the ponies on the floor.

"So, you really want to get into the tower, don't you?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, we do," Isaac replied. "They've got the last Dragon Ball, I'm sure of it."

"You know, even though I've heard of them, I've never actually seen a Dragon Ball," Charlie said. "Don't even know if they exist."

Isaac took off his backpack and opened it, dumping its contents onto the floor - among the water bottles were the six Dragon Balls, their yellow shine seeming to add a little bit more light to the room.

Charlie picked up a Dragon Ball and examined it closely, spinning it around in his hand. "Well, I'll be assed. They really do exist."

Isaac quickly went over to Charlie and took the Dragon Ball back. "And we have to find that seventh one. I promised my father on his death bed that I would."

"Well, I sure can respect that," Charlie said. He turned his attention to the ponies, noting their Elements of Harmony. "Well, you six certainly look like you dressed for the occassion."

"I always do," Rarity replied.

"These jewels aren't for dress," Twilight said. "These are our weapons - the Elements of Harmony."

Charlie chuckled. "What the hell kind of a name for a weapon is that?"

"A good one," Isaac replied. "Don't take the ponies for granted, either. They've taken down gods and the physical manefistation of chaos himself. They know what they're doing."

"That so?" Charlie asked. "Well, that's...interesting." He was silent for a moment. "Okay, I'll help you guys out."

"You will?" Doris asked.

"If you really think you can bring this all to an end, then I'm with you," Charlie replied. "We've been wanting to take those bastards down for years anyway, after President Wilcox went mad with power." He stood up. "We've got a place set up for you all to rest for the night. We'll go over the battle plans tomorrow."

Isaac finished putting everything back into his backpack as they stood up. He and Charlie shook hands.

"Tomorrow's the big day," Charlie said.

"The day we finally finish this," Isaac added.

Rainbow Dash stretched and flexed her wings. "Can we get going now? I've been sitting for way too long."

"Sure," Charlie said. "Go talk to Troy. He'll show you where you'll be staying for the night."

########################################

"Okay, so it's not quite home, but it's better than the supermarket floor," Isaac said as they took in their room. There was enough room for all of them, with ten cots set up along the walls. Just like in Charlie's room, there was a single lamp in this room, its bulb barely giving the room enough light to see by. They all sat down on their cots as they thought about what was going to happen tomorrow.

After a few hours, everyone fell asleep. Everyone, except Isaac. He sat on the edge of his cot, twirling a Dragon Ball in his hand.

_This is it. Tomorrow, everything we've worked for, all the adventures we've been had - they won't be for nothing, I'll make damn sure of that._

"Isaac?"

Isaac glanced out of the corner of his eye; Twilight was standing nearby.

"Are you alright? You should really be getting some sleep."

"I know," Isaac replied. "It's just - well, now I know how Applejack felt before her fight with Billy the Foal. This anticipation, this knot in my stomach..."

"You're nervous."

"Well, yeah. To be honest, Twilight, I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. But either way, everything we've ever worked for has all come down to this." He put the Dragon Ball into his backpack before turning back to Twilight. "I guess we should get some sleep, though. Tomorrow's a big day." He lightly hugged Twilight. "Good night."

"Good night, Isaac."

Isaac lay down on his cot, using his backpack as a pillow. He stared at the cieling for a moment before his eyes closed and he drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	29. Isaac's Inner Power

ISAAC'S INNER POWER

RAINBOW DASH WAS USING HER WINGS TO DO PUSH UPS. IT WAS TEN IN THE morning, and they were waiting for Isaac to get out of the planning room with Charlie.

"I don't know why they have to stay in there and make those plans," she said. "Why don't we just go and get this done?"

"It's a stupid move to rush in headlong with no plan," Vegeta replied. "Even I know that much."

A moment later, the door opened, and Isaac stepped out. Rainbow Dash hovered in front of him. "So, what's going on?"

"They're going to distract the soldiers while we go in and get the Dragon Ball," Isaac replied. "Remember, as soon as we get the Dragon Ball, we get the hell outta there; don't want to attract any more attention than necessary."

"The place is going to be crawling with soldiers, isn't it?" Twilight asked.

"Most likely."

"Good," Vegeta said. "Bring 'em on. I haven't had a good fight since that freak Discord. I wouldn't mind busting open a few skulls, maybe tearing some people in half."

"Do you get off on that or something?" Doris asked.

"Hey!" Charlie called from down the hall; he, Troy, Jerry, and Greg were all ready, wearing their ammo vests and carrying their weapons. "Are you ten coming or not?"

"Okay! We're coming!" Isaac called back. "Let's go, guys."

They followed Charlie and the others down the hall, out the door, until they came to the exit of the tunnels. Charlie went up the ladder first, pushing the hatch open slightly.

"It's clear," he whispered down to them. He pushed the hatch open all the way and climbed out into the sunless morning. "Come on." One by one, the all climbed out of the tunnel - except for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, who just flew out of the hatch. Charlie stared after them. "Show offs."

"Hey, have wings, will fly," Rainbow Dash said.

Charlie closed the hatch and gripped his rifle. "Okay, the tower's a few blocks away from here. But we have to be careful; the soldiers could be anywhere, so keep an eye out."

They walked for a few blocks, ducking behind whatever cover they could every few moments to avoid the prying eyes of the passing soldiers. There were several moments where they held their breath, waiting patiently for the soldiers to pass by; at times, it seemed like the soldiers wouldn't leave. Vegeta and Rainbow Dash were starting to get impatient; Goku and Applejack respectively had to held them back, Goku holding Vegeta by the arm and Applejack holding Rainbow Dash back by her tail.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they arrived at the tower. It was easily the tallest building in the city - or, at least the tallest building still standing and not covered in foliage - standing at nearly thirty stories, the contents of each floor hidden by panes of glass. The base of the tower was surrounded by hundreds of soldiers, some on foot, some in vehicles - armored cars, jeeps, and at least one tank. The soldiers were armed with rifles and all sorts of other weapons - machine guns, rocket launchers, shotguns, grenade launchers.

"You actually think you can take them all on?" Fluttershy asked. "They're - " She swallowed in fear. "They look dangerous."

"They are," Troy said. "But we can handle this."

"Okay, here's the plan," Charlie said. "The ten of you make your way to the tower, but stay behind cover, and when you're close enough, we'll distract them. Once they're away from the door - or at least looking the other way - make your way inside and do your thing. We'll handle things out here."

"But there's hundreds of soldiers out there," Twilight said, her voice full of worry. "And they have vehicles. There's only four of you, and you're on foot."

"Don't mean nothing," Jerry said. "We've done this sort of thing before."

"Enough talking, everyone get to position," Charlie said as he slung his rifle over his shoulder. He raised it, slowly flipping the safety off, Troy, Jerry, and Greg doing the same thing as everyone else slowly made their way closer to the tower, staying behind cover as they went. They sat behind the trailer of a big rig, waiting to hear the first bullets being fired.

"What the hay is taking so long?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Let's just get this over with!"

"Just wait a little bit, Rainbow," Twilight said. "They'll let us know when it's - "

_**KABOOM!**_

An explosion rocked the whole area as a pipe bomb exploded. A second later, the bullets started flying. The soldiers ran for cover as they fired, the soldiers in the vehicles also firing. The vehicles and the soldiers moved away from the tower entrance, heading towards the four resistance fighters.

"They're gone," Isaac said, speaking loudly to be heard over the chaos. "Come on!"

Vegeta hung back as they headed for the tower entrance. "I'm not going."

"Vegeta, we don't have time for this!" Goku yelled.

"I said, I'm not going!" Vegeta screamed. "I'm going to stay out here and fight!" He exploded with energy as he transformed into a Super Saiyan, and flew towards the battle.

"That feather brain," Rainbow Dash groaned as she facehoofed. "He's going to get himself killed doing that!"

"I'll go with him," Goku said. He transformed into his Super Saiyan form and followed Vegeta. "Good luck, you guys!"

"So now it's just us?" Doris asked.

"Fan-freaking-tastic," Isaac said. "Come on."

They hurried to the tower entrance, tearing the door open and running inside.

The inside of the tower was lit fairly well - still a little dim, but at least there was plenty of light to see by. The floor was hard concrete, as were the walls. There was a fine layer of dust on all the furniture, and the stale air was filled with the scent of dust and worn leather. And that was just the first floor. There were stairs nearby, as well as an elevator - surprisingly enough, the elevator seemed to have power, its electronics showing which floor it was on and the lights inside illuminating the metal box.

"So, now where do we go?" Applejack asked.

"We're going to have to check every floor for that Dragon Ball," Isaac replied.

"That'll take forever," Rarity whined.

"Not like we've got a choice, Rarity," Isaac said. "And it looks like the elevator's working, so we won't have to waste time going up the stairs."

"So, what? Should we split up?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Isaac said. "Four of us take one half of this floor, four of us take the other half. If we don't find the Dragon Ball, then we'll meet up at the elevator. And be careful; there may still be some bad guys in here."

Doris, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie took one half of the floor; Isaac, Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy took the other half. They checked every room they could, breaking through the locked doors, rummaging through desks, cabinets, everything they could. No Dragon Ball.

"I ain't findin' a darn thing," Applejack moaned.

"Neither am I," Fluttershy added.

"Okay, let's get to the elevator," Isaac said. "We'll check the second floor, and just keep going from there."

It was the same on the second floor, the third floor, all the way up to the nineteenth floor. It wasn't until they were on the elevator making their way to the twentieth floor when Rarity let out a frustrated groan.

"I hate to say it, but we seem to be getting nowhere, fast."

"I hear ya, Rarity," Applejack said. "But there ain't a whole lot we can do besides to keep lookin'."

"I'm so worried about the guys outside," Fluttershy said quietly. "I hope they're alright."

"I'm sure they're fine, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash replied. The elevator lurched to a stop. "Well, here we are."

The elevator doors opened, revealing the twentieth floor on the other side. But this floor looked...different. It was just one large room, with an additional level, like a catwalk, in the center of the room, leading into another room that they couldn't see. The walls were dark, their black sheen actually dimming the lights. There were various shelves and electronic devices throughout the room, basic home computers, and there was a node on the far wall, on the opposite side of the catwalk, and in the node was -

"The Dragon Ball!"

Isaac ran over to the node and pulled the Dragon Ball out of it. It was the last one they needed, its yellow surface adorned with three orange stars.

"Is that it?" Doris asked as she and the ponies hurried over to join him.

"This is it," Isaac replied. "We've got them all. We can make that wish; we can fix all of this!"

They hears something, like footsteps on the catwalk above them, along with a soft chuckle. They all looked up at the catwalk, saw someone up there.

He was an older man, at least in his forties, and dressed in a black suit, with dark brown hair, deep set eyes, and a wicked smile crossing his face.

"Welcome, young ones," he said as he leaned against the railing of the catwalk. "So glad you could join the party; after all, it's your wake."

"Who the hell are you?" Isaac snapped.

"Oswald Wilcox, President of the United States and founder of the One World Nation."

"So it's you," Doris said. "You're responsible for everything that's happened."

"But how?" Twilight asked. "Why?"

Wilcox chuckled again, shifting his weight on the railing as he began to talk in an almost conversational tone. "Twenty years ago, when I was elected President of the United States, I made a bid to get together with all the other nations in the world to end all wars. It took about five years, and a re-election, but it finally happened, and the One World Nation was formed. But the whole 'end all wars' thing was just a front."

"What the hay does that mean?" Applejack asked.

"You clearly don't know much about humans, do you, my little pony?" Wilcox asked. "You see, human beings are inherintly the most greedy and evil creatures on the face of the earth. The only things we care about are power, and obtaining more power, and then using that power to get more and more power, and so on and so forth. Why do you think there have been so many wars in the nearly five thousand years of civilization's history? Greed and power, that's what humans operate on, and when we have that power, we want to use it to control. And the best way to get and maintain control, is through fear."

"But all those poor people who were killed - " Fluttershy squeaked.

"That's the perfect way to spread fear throughout the world," Wilcox continued. "I'm not the first person to have done this, and I know that I won't be the last. Of course, we didn't just shoot everybody - gas chambers, acid baths, lethal injections - " He turned his attention to Isaac. "Just like your dad."

"W - what?" Isaac asked breathlessly. "Then, you - you're the one who - "

"Killed him? No, I didn't do it myself; I just gave the order to do so. Of course, that's after we got everything we needed from you, my boy."

"What are you talking about?"

Wilcox pointed to a nearby window. "Take a look out there." Isaac and his friends slowly walked over to the window, where the battle down below was going poorly for the resistance - at least, that's what it looked like. The only ones they could see were Goku and Vegeta, thanks to their yellow Super Saiyan glow - and the fact that they were flying and firing energy blasts out of their hands - but there was something else, two soldiers, also flying, also shooting energy blasts out of their hands.

"Since when do the soldiers fly?" Doris asked.

"Since they were infused with Saiyan cells," Wilcox replied. "Extracted from Isaac's blood."

Isaac glared at Wilcox, the blood draining from his face. "What?!"

"Oh, you don't know? You're - "

"I know what I am," Isaac growled. "How dare you use my blood for evil?"

"Evil? That all depends on who you talk to."

"I've heard _that_ one before," Rarity said.

"That doesn't answer one question, though," Isaac said, still glaring at Wilcox, unblinking. "Why were you chasing me and Doris all those years?"

"Simple," Wilcox replied. "It was fun. At least until you two dropped off the face of the earth and ended up in that place the transporter took you."

"And that's another thing," Isaac hissed. "It's one thing to threaten this world, but then you threatened Equestria."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"I've heard enough out of this motherbucker," Rainbow Dash said, hovering in the air. "I'm gonna press you into jerk cider!"

Isaac grabbed Rainbow Dash by the tail and pulled her back to the ground. "No you're not, Rainbow," he said. "He's mine." He glared at Wilcox. "It's time you've paid for everything you've done, you monster!" He flew at Wilcox, pulling back his fist. "Die!"

There was a blast of energy, and Isaac was thrown back. He hit the far wall hard and fell to the ground. "Ouch. What the hell was that?"

"You didn't think the soldiers were the only ones who had been infused with your blood, did you?" Wilcox asked. "You see, I'd been anticipating this day for a while, so I came prepared." He hovered above the catwalk and slowly descended to the floor. "I would have gladly let you live, Isaac, but now, I've changed my mind." In less than a second, he was standing right in front of Isaac, lifing him off the ground by his hair. He starting punching Isaac hard in the face with his free hand, drawing blood from Isaac's nose and mouth. His blood stained the floor and the wall.

Wilcox dropped Isaac to the floor and took a step back, raising his hand and preparing an energy blast. "Nice knowing you, kid."

Doris and the ponies put themselves between Isaac and Wilcox, Doris raising her fists and the ponies lowering themselves into a defensive position.

"Back off!" Twilight yelled.

"Excuse me, but you're in my way," Wilcox said. He cancelled out his energy blast and raised his arm above his head, levitating Doris and the ponies into the air. He tossed them to the side. "Sit there and wait your turns."

Twilight pulled herself off the ground. Her horn glowed as she activated her unicorn magic, and she fired a blast of magic at Wilcox. The magic blast hit him in the shoulder.

"Ouch! Okay, since you all seem so desperate to die..." He licked his lips. "You know, I actually had horse once. It was a little tough. But let it sit in some Italian dressing marinade for a few hours, and the meat falls right off the bone."

Isaac slowly stood up. He wiped blood from his face and spit some from his mouth. "If you touch one hair on their manes, I'll tear you apart."

"You're in no position to make threats, kid," Wilcox said.

Isaac felt his anger rising up inside of him, almost to the point of bursting. "Leave...my...friends...ALONE!"

There was an explosion of energy, a bright flash of light, and everyone turned their attention to Isaac, eyes wide with shock. Isaac looked down at his hands, saw they were glowing yellow, and realized that he had just transformed into a Super Saiyan.

"What the hell..."

"That's not right," Wilcox said, the fear rising up in his voice. "No one said you could do that!"

Isaac balled his hands into fists and turned his attention back to Wilcox, his eyes narrowed and his teeth clenched in anger. "By threatening my friends, you've just brought about your own doom!"

_I can feel the animal inside_

_My resolve is weakening_

_Pounding at the doors of my mind_

_It's nearly overpowering_

_I cannot begin to describe_

_The hunger that I feel again_

_Run if you intend to survive_

_For the beast is coming to life_

_Taking form in the glimmer in this tainted moonlight_

_Death approaches on this night_

_For the animal's soul is mine_

_We will be completed right before your eyes_

_I have no control this time_

_And now we both shall dine in Hell tonight_

_I can hear it calling again_

_The primal need is filling me_

_Changes are about to begin_

_And now my blood is boiling_

_I can see the fear in your eyes_

_But you can't bring yourself to scream_

_Time to shed the mortal disguise_

_For the beast is coming to life_

_Taking form in the glimmer of this tainted moonlight_

_Death approaches on this night_

_For the animal's soul is mine_

_We will be completed right before your eyes_

_I have no control this time_

_And now we both shall dine in Hell tonight_

_We begin the hunt and I_

_Feel the power course, as the creatures take flight_

_For the kill is close and I will be satisfied_

_For the smell of fear tonight_

_Wakes an ancient lust that will not be denied_

_You're mine_

_For the animal's soul is mine_

_We will be completed right before your eyes_

_I have no control this time_

_And now we both shall dine in Hell tonight_

_For the animal's soul is mine_

_And the world around will never hear your cries_

_An unholy crime_

_And now we both shall dine in Hell tonight_

He charged at Wilcox, slamming his fist into the older man's face, sending him flying into a wall. The impact made a man-sized hole in the wall.

He pulled himself out of the wall. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"You threatened my friends," Isaac growled. "That is unforgivable." He tossed his backpack to Doris. "Take the Dragon Balls and get out of here. I'll join you in a little bit."

"But - " she began.

"Just GO!"

"I don't think so," Wilcox said. He pulled something out of his pocket - it looked like a small cell phone, but with a single red button on its surface. He pushed the button.

"What did you just do?"

"This entire building has been wired with explosives," Wilcox replied. "In about five minutes, this entire building will crumble to the ground, taking all of us with it. None of you will be getting out of here alive!"

Isaac turned to his friends. "Take the elevator to the ground floor. NOW!" He charged at Wilcox, pulling back his fist.

"Good luck, Isaac," Twilight said.

Isaac didn't her her, didn't hear his friends leave; he was too focused, he and President Wilcox exchanging blows, Isaac clearly having the upper hand due to being a Super Saiyan. Still, he was surprised at the older man's speed and strength - he guessed it was due to the Saiyan blood infused within him. The two grappled, glaring at each other as the first explosions went off.

Isaac kneed Wilcox in the stomach, forcing the older man to step back. "Enough of this," Wilcox hissed. He held out his hand. "I should have killed you long ago, boy." His hand began to glow as he prepared to fire an energy blast.

_I guess now's as good a time as ever to use the secret technique my father never taught me. But I've seen Goku do it; the Kamehameha._ He held his arms at his side, his hands cupped. He focused his energy, felt it going into the palms of his hands.

"I promised my father when he died that I would make things right," Isaac said. "And by God, that's what I'm going to do! _Ka...me...ha...me..._"

"It's been fun, kid, but all good things have to come to an end," Wilcox said. He fired his energy blast.

"_HA!_" He thrust his arms forward, firing a beam of blue energy. The two met in the middle, and the beam struggle began, even as the explosions continued to billow around them.

######################################

The elevator lurched as it neared the fifteenth floor, throwing them all off balance.

"What in tarnation was that?" Applejack asked.

"The explosives must be going off," Doris guessed. "And just our crap luck, we're in the last place we want to be. This thing might as well be a steel coffin."

The elevator was rocked again, and it started to drop at a much faster rate, the brakes having been destroyed. Their stomachs lurched as the elevator began its death drop, passing five floors in less than two seconds.

"Everypony gather around me," Twilight said. She activated her unicorn magic, tapping into her teleportation spell, and in a flash, they were out of the elevator, back on the first floor. A few seconds later, there was a loud _CRASH_ as the elevator hit the floor, dust seeping out from behind the elevator doors.

"Whew. Good save, Twi," Doris said. She took a quickl look outside. It looked like the fighting was over. "Come on; we've gotta get out of here before this place blows."

They all ran for the exit, all except Twilight. It just didn't feel right to her, leaving Isaac alone to fight that monster of a human. She wanted to help. But then again, the last time she did something like this, she was nearly killed for it.

She stomped a hoof on the ground. _No. I don't care if I _do_ die. I'm going back. I'm going to help my friend._ She teleported back to the twentieth floor, where Isaac and President Wilcox were engaged in a massive beam struggle. _I've gotta hurry._ She activated her magic once again as she hurried to Isaac's side.

"Twilight? What are you doing here?"

"You're not doing this alone," Twilight replied. "We're in this together. In friendship!" She fired a beam of magic at Wilcox, her magic and Isaac's Kamehameha wave pushing against his energy beam, forcing it back.

"What? No, this can't be right!" he screamed.

"Just a little bit more, Twilight," Isaac said. "And...NOW!"

They heard Wilcox scream as he was enveloped in both beams, magic and energy alike, just as the building began to crumble.

#####################################

They watched helplessly as the tower collapesed, clouds of dust and debris flying into the air as the last explosions went off. Isaac and Twilight were still trapped inside.

"Isaac! Twilight!"

Something moved in the dust clouds. They all got ready to fight, the humans raising their fists and the ponies lowering themselves. At least, until the figure stepped out of the dust.

Isaac, bloody and dirty, with Twilight hanging onto his back, her front hooves draped over his shoulders. Both were covered in dust, but otherwise unharmed. Nobody moved as Isaac and Twilight made their way over to their friends. Isaac put Twilight on the ground as they got close; her legs were a little shaky, but she managed to stand just fine.

"What happened?" Rainbow Dash asked. "There's _no way_ you could have survived that."

"Normally, that'd be true," Twilight replied. "But I put up a magic barrier, protecting us." She smiled, a little _squee_ escaping her lips.

Somethng moved in the rubble. The debris shifted, and President Wilcox stood up, his body covered in blood and dust, his face contorted into rage.

"You're not getting away that easily," he hissed.

Isaac got ready to charge at him, but Twilight and the other ponies stepped in front of him. The Elements of Harmony they were wearing began to glow with a bright gold light.

"That's enough," Twilight said. "You've hurt too many innocent people."

"Y'all are the worst kind of monster we've ever had the displeasure of knowin'," Appejack growled.

"So now, we're finally going to press you into jerk cider!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"We simply cannot let your crimes go unpunished," Rarity said.

"You're a bully, that's all you are," Fluttershy said. "And nopony likes a bully."

"Um, yeah, what they said," Pinkie Pie chirped.

A beam of light spread from Twilight's tiara to the other Elements, forming a line that met back at Twilight. She closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them up again, they were glowing with a blinding white light. A rainbow shot out of the Elements of Harmony, shooting up into the sky and arching its way down towards Wilcox, enveloping him in a tornado of colors. There was an explosion of light, and when it faded, the glow in Twilight's eyes was gone, and Wilcox was lying in the rubble, his lifeless eyes staring upwards.

President Oswald Wilcox was dead. The One World Nation had fallen.

Now there was only one thing left to do.


	30. Friendship is Magic

FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC

THE DRAGON BALLS WERE LAID OUT ON THE GROUND, SIX FORMING A CIRCLE, with the seventh one in the center. The yellow spheres were glowing brightly, casting a soft orange light on the surrounding area.

After five years, and so many trials, it had finally happened. He had gathered all the Dragon Balls, just as he'd promised his father he would do. All that was left to do now was to summon the dragon and make the wish.

He felt a hand on his shoulder; he looked to see Goku smiling at him.

"You got this, kiddo."

"Thanks, Goku," Isaac replied. He looked back at the Dragon Balls. "Everyone stand back. I don't know what's going to happen."

"It's going to be fine, Isaac," Twilight assured him. "Trust me."

Isaac took a deep breath before speaking again. "Eternal Dragon, in thy name I summon thee - SHENLONG!"

Nothing happened.

"Well, that was a dud," Rainbow Dash said.

_**VOOOOOOOM!**_

A beam of light shot out from each of the Dragon Balls, meeting in the center of the circle and shooting upwards in a tall, narrow beam that began to take shape - a large, green dragon, like a Chinese Long Dragon, its serpentine body coiling around the Dragon Balls, the two whiskers sprouting from its cheeks undulating. It had a row of green spines running down its back, and its underbelly scales were a bright yellow. The dragon's menacing-looking red eyes stared down at them. Overall, it was a very intimidating sight, especially for the ponies, who had a natural fear of dragons; they had all shrunken back, trying to make themselves as small as possible, even more so when the dragon spoke, its deep voice booming.

"**I am the Eternal Dragon. Choose your words carefully, for you have but one wish that I may grant.**"

Isaac gulped; like the ponies, he was clearly intimidated by this dragon's awesome presence. But he swallowed his fear and spoke.

"Shenlong, Dragon of Wishes, I ask that you restore the world to the way it was before the One World Nation was formed, and all those who had been killed be brought back to life."

The dragon stared at him for a moment. Isaac felt his fear and trepedation growing; what if the dragon refused? What if he saw that as two wishes? What if he made Isaac choose which wish he wanted the dragon to grant?

Finally, the dragon spoke.

"**It shall be done.**" His eyes began to glow.

And the, something amazing happened.

The first thing that happened was the sky was cleared, the dark gray clouds fading away to reveal the clear blue sky, the sun shining down on the planet for the first time in years, bathing the earth in its warm and beautiful light.

The foliage began to retract, the weeds shrinking back into the earth, the vines and moss burning away into nothing.

The rivers and lakes began to clear up, the muddy and disease-ridden water now replaced with the sparkling clear water they once sported.

The rubble disappeared - no, not disappeared, but began to fit back into the buildings it had come from, fallen down buildings being built once again, the pieces of each one fitting together like the pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle.

The streets were cleared of gravel and broken glass.

And finally, people faded into existance, the world's population living once again. There were looks of suprise, looks of shock, looks of intrigue as the people remembered what had happened and wondered just how they had come back.

It all had happened so fast, yet it seemed to take an eternity as, for the first time in over fifteen years, the world had been returned to normal.

Isaac turned his eyes back up to the dragon. "Thank you."

"**You are most welcome. I must go now.**" He turned back into a beam of light, which retracted into the Dragon Balls. The Dragon Balls hovered in the air, spinning around before separating, flying off in different directions as they were scattered once again.

Isaac felt drained; he flopped to the ground, resting his hands behind him, holding him up in a sitting position. His friends gathered around him.

"You did it," Twilight said. "Just like you promised your father."

"Should we throw a party to celebrate?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Isaac rubbed Pinkie's neck. "That won't be necessary, Pinkie Pie," he said. "Just knowing that I - no, that _we_ - succeeded is celebration enough."

"Doris?"

She recognized that voice; it was a voice she never thought she'd hear again. She looked into the crowd of people and saw four people she recognized instantly - her mother, her father, and her brother and sister. Tears welled up in her eyes as she rushed towards them, throwing herself against them in a massive hug.

"I - I thought I'd never see you guys again," she sobbed.

"Um, is there room for one more?"

Doris turned around. Colin was standing close by, holding his arm in shame. He took a small step towards them.

Doris walked over to him, an angry look on her face that slowly melted into a warm smile as she pulled her brother in for a hug. "There's always room for you, Colin. And yes, I've forgiven you."

Colin returned her smile and her hug. "I love you, little sis."

"I love you to, BBBFF."

"What?"

"Big Brother, Best Friend Forever."

Isaac was now standing again and looking around. _Where is he? Don't tell me the dragon didn't bring him back._

"Isaac! Isaac!"

Isaac listened. He could hear the voice calling for him, but couldn't see where it was coming from.

Until his father pushed his way through the crowd.

Isaac's eyes went wide with surprise. He felt tears welling up, felt them roll down his face as he ran towards his father.

"Dad!" He threw himself against his father, hugging him tight. "I - I did it, Dad," he said, crying. "Just like I promised I would."

"I know, and I'm proud," his father said. "I love you, Son."

"But I couldn't have done it without my friends," Isaac said, looking over to the ponies. "They really helped Doris and I out a lot." The ponies smiled and waved.

"Well, thank you," his father said.

Isaac kept his eyes on the six ponies, the Elements of Harmony. He knew that this was the only thing they'd come along to do, to help him and Doris restore their world, and soon, they would have to go back to Equestria. Part of him didn't want them to leave, but he knew that they would have to. They didn't belong here, in this world.

But for now, he wouldn't worry about that. He would just enjoy the moment.

###################################

"I honestly don't see why we have to leave so soon," Rarity said as Isaac punched in the last of the coordinates into the teleporter.

"I know," Twilight agreed. "There's so much we can learn about this world."

Isaac sighed. "I'm sorry, everypony," he said. "But Equestria is your home. It needs you; it needs the Elements of Harmony." He turned to them and lowered himself to their eye level. "But, we might meet again. This teleporter's still going to be locked in to Equestria for a long time." He felt tears beginning to form in his eyes, but he didn't care; he let the first ones roll down his face. "You six have given me so much. You've made me laugh and smile for the first time in years. We've been through so much together, and I don't want it to end just as much as you don't. But I'll always be glad to call you my friends."

_ISAAC: Sometimes friends have to leave_

_It's sad but true_

_But this I do believe_

_They stay a part of you_

_And if you go away_

_To live some other place_

_I will think of you each day_

_And see your smiling face_

_MANE SIX: And we will always be your friends_

_No matter where you are_

_Just around the bend_

_Or very, very far_

_Wherever you will go_

_When you reach your journey's end_

_No matter what_

_We'll always be your friends_

_ISAAC AND THE MANE SIX: We will always be your friends_

_Although we're far apart_

_We'll see you in our dreams_

_And feel you in our hearts_

_And though the years may fly_

_We know we'll meet again_

_And when we do_

_We still will be your friends_

_We'll always be_

_Your truest friends_

Isaac pulled them in for a tight hug. "I'm really going to miss you girls."

"We'll miss you too, Isaac," Twilight sniffed.

Isaac let them go and pressed the activation button on the control panel, activating the portal. "Go on. Your home's waiting for you."

The ponies jumped Isaac, hugging him again. The six of them were sobbing loudly, not wanting to leave but knowing they had to. After a moment, they released Isaac and stepped up to the portal.

"Hey, if you ever come back to Equestria, I'll be sure to throw you a Super-Duper-Old-Human-Friend-Has-Come-Back-To-Eque stria Party!" Pinkie Pie said loudly.

"I'd like that, Pinkie Pie," Isaac replied. He watched as Pinkie stepped through the portal.

"Well, um...goodbye, Isaac," Fluttershy squeaked. "I'll never forget you."

"I'll never forget you either, Fluttershy. I'll always remember your kindness." Fluttershy stepped through the portal.

Rarity was next. "I look forward to your next visit, darling."

"So do I, Rarity. So do I." Rarity stepped through the portal.

Rainbow Dash hovered over to Isaac. "Next time, we're racing for real," she said. She held out a hoof. "Till then, brohoof!" Isaac touched her hoof with his fist. "Later, Isaac!" She flew through the portal.

Applejack stepped up to the portal. "Well, it's been fun, y'all," she said. "I know Apple Bloom's sure gonna miss ya."

"Tell her I said for her and ther other Cutie Mark Crusaders to keep out of trouble," Isaac said.

"Are you kiddin'? Those three, keep outta trouble? Well, I'll try, but I ain't makin' no promises. Later." She stepped through the portal.

Twilight was the last one. She walked over to Isaac again and rubbed her face against his arm. Isaac knelt down and hugged her again.

"I'm so glad we were able to help you restore your world, Isaac," she said.

"You did more than restore my world, Twilight Sparkle," Isaac replied. "You restored my heart. I guess it's true what you said before - friendship really _is_ magic."

Twilight smiled. "I'm glad to hear that," she said. She walked over to the portal. "Goodbye, Isaac." She walked through the portal.

Isaac turned the portal off, never taking his eyes off the spot it had been just a second ago. "Goodbye, my little ponies."

####################################

Celestia put the case back into the alcove and closed the wall. She turned back to Twilight and the others.

"I'm glad to hear everything worked out," she said. "And Twilight, the report you wrote - I look forward to reading it later."

"Of course, Princess," Twilight said. "It's just that..." Her voice trailed off.

"Just what, my student?"

"We just wish Isaac and Doris would have stayed, you know? We all grew so close with them while they were here."

"I understand how you feel, Twilight," Celestia said. "But the balance of the universe must be maintained. That's why the Cloud and his friends haven't come back yet; that's why the Autobots haven't come back yet." She walked over to Twilight and placed a hoof on the younger unicorn's shoulder. "But our friends are never truly that far away from us."

"I know, Princess," Twilight said. She put a hoof on her chest. "They're with us in spirit."

Celestia's warm smile seemed to grow. "That's right. Now, the train to Ponyville will be here shortly. I suggest you all go home and get some rest."

Twilight bowed lightly before turning and heading outside, where the other ponies were waiting. She didn't pay them any attention; it was like she was off in her own little world.

She was actually thinking - thinking about all the friendships they'd forged over the past several months; Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Vincent, Barrett, Cid, Marlene, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Arcee, Ratchet, Jack, Miko, Raf, June, Agent Fowler, Isaac, Doris, Goku, Vegeta...They were all so far away, and yet, in her heart, they were so close. That knowledge actually brought a smile to her face as she walked across a bridge, and she started to sing.

_Life in the universe shimmers_

_Life in the universe shines_

_And I know for absolute certain_

_That everything is certainly fine_

_There's Cloud in a fight for life_

_The Autobots defending freedom_

_Isaac's world, which has been rebuilt_

_Can things ever go wrong?_

_No, I don't think that they will_

_LIfe in the universe shimmers_

_Life in the universe shines_

_And I know for absolute certain_

_That everything_

_Yes everything_

_Yes everything is certainly fine_

Four beings, from four different worlds - Twilight Sparkle, Cloud Strife, Optimus Prime, and Isaac Lawrence - all said the exact same thing at the exact same time.

"Yes, everything's going to be just fine."

**THE END**


	31. A Word From the Author

A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR

HOLY COW, WHAT A RIDE THIS WAS. IT'S TAKEN ME SEVEN MONTHS TO WRITE this crossover trilogy, and now that it's complete, I can honestly say that I'm proud of what I've done. But this isn't just for me to gloat, oh no. This is a note from me to you, the readers, thanking you for your reading and reviewing of these three stories.

I still remember when I first opened up WordPad on my computer and started writing "Final Fantasy 7: Adventures in Equestria". At the time, I was just doing it on a whim - which is why it seems the most rushed of the three, and that's because it honestly is - and I didn't know that I would be turning it into a crossover trilogy. When I started writing that one, I had only been a brony for about two weeks, so I was still sort of fresh with the whole MLP thing. But people read it, enjoyed it, and that gave me the motivation to continue, and once I was finished with it, I thought - "Why not make a trilogy out of this?" Granted, it's only loosely tied together, with passing references to the previous stories, but just the fact that the Mane Six - and every other character from My Little Pony - uses their experience with the characters from the franchise(s) they're crossing over with is what makes it work.

I was, and still am, surprised that "My Little Pony: War For Equestria" has become my most popular work on . I honestly was not expecting over 7,000 readers. I suppose that if you cross one Hasbro product over with another you'll get big hits, but I digress. People really seemed to like where I went with that one, a lot of action (particularly the first six chapters) with a lot of character bits thrown in. And to all Rarity fans out there - I'm sorry I had Megatron torture her half to death; I just wanted to convey the seriousness of the situation Equestria was facing, and since Rarity was already out looking for gems, well...you get the idea.

And now, with "Lost in Another World", the final entry in the trilogy and the only one that doesn't give away the fact that it's a My Little Pony crossover in the title. Even as I was writing it, I couldn't help but realize that this was, by far, the darkest entry in the trilogy, and the readers really seemed to eat it up.

Again, I can't thank you enough for reading and reviewing and your constant support as I was writing these three stories. Maybe one day I'll go through and make them all one complete volume, but for right now, I'm going to take a bit of a break before I get back to my other projects - "Beast Wars Fan Series" has been calling my name for months now.

Till then, remember - friendship truly is magic.

- Kenny Rutter


End file.
